South Asia’s biggest airshow kicks off in India on Wednesday, where global armament firms will be vying for multi-billion dollar contracts from the world’s biggest importer of weapons.
India launched the biannual Aero India event in 1996, three years before a mini-war with Pakistan prompted New Delhi to go on a global shopping spree for tens of billions of dollars worth of hardware to equip its million-strong military.
A total of 78 countries have confirmed their attendance, while companies from 27 of them will showcase their latest products at the five-day show in Bangalore, the hub of India’s aviation, space and IT industries.
India’s state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), which signed a deal with Russia in 2010 worth $30 billion to jointly produce 250 to 300 fifth-generation fighter jets, says it hopes to ink major contracts during the show.
03/02/13 Jakarta Globe