Over 1,300 firms, pavilions from 10 States and representatives from over 50 countries to take part in the event to be held from October 18 to 22.
With over 1,300 defence companies, pavilions from 10 States and representatives from over 50 countries, the Defence Expo 22 (DefExpo-2022), to be held in Gandhinagar from October 18-22, will be the largest defence expo ever held in the country, said Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar on 14 October.
To be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the scale of the event will be much bigger than the last time and the government expects to sign more than 400 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) to bring an investment of ₹1.25 lakh crore in the defence sector.
“This 12th edition of Defence Expo will be the biggest in the country, with its theme being ‘Path to Pride’. It will showcase our commitment to become atmanirbhar [self-reliant] in defence production. It will be inaugurated by PM Modi on October 19,” the Defence Secretary told the media after reviewing the preparations.
He said the expo was Asia’s largest exhibition on land, naval and homeland security systems, with a focus on projecting the country as an emerging defence manufacturing hub, one of the top priorities for government in the defence sector.
Mr. Ajay Kumar briefed about the exhibition with a live demo to be held in Ahmedabad Sabarmati riverfront and a few events to be held in Porbandar.
Five-day event
During the five-day event, there will be two major components: Defence Ministers’ Conclaves viz India-Africa Defence Dialogue and IOR+ (Indian Ocean Region) Conclave wherein 75+ countries are meeting, including bilateral meetings slated to be held in Gandhinagar.
According to him, as many as 10 States are participating in the event as interest in the defence industry is growing among the States and the industry.
As per the details shared by Defence Ministry officials, some 1,028 firms had participated in the last defence expo, while the current edition will have Defence Ministers of 25 countries and delegates from 75 nations.
Among the highlights of the event will be showcasing of indigenously designed and developed trainer aircraft by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for the first time in the expo; virtual inauguration of the newly developed airbase at Deesa in Gujarat and 75 challenges for defence productions will be opened up for start-ups and industries.
Additional Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjay Jaju told media persons that the India-Africa Defence Dialogue, which would see participation from more than 50 African countries, would be held in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while a separate Indian Ocean Region plus (IOR+) conclave, where representatives from approximately 40 countries would be present, was being held for the first time.
Surge in exports
The officials said that thanks to the government’s push for manufacturing, defence exports had seen a huge jump and last year, the country exported defence goods worth ₹13,000 crore with the U.S. being the largest importer from India.
For the first time, the exhibition is being held in a four-venue format — exhibition at the Helipad Exhibition Centre (HEC), inaugural/ official functions and seminars at Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre (MMCEC) in Gandhinagar while live demonstrations showcasing the equipment and skill set of the armed forces, defence PSUs and industry on all five days at the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad and ships visit of Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard at Porbandar.
In addition, there will be a drone show in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, which will be the largest the country has seen this far.
