BENGALURU: Aero India 2021’s full dress rehearsal on Tuesday lifted the hearts of defence personnel and government employees and their families for whom special entry was granted to watch the three-day event a day ahead of its inauguration on Wednesday.
What stole the show was a joint aerobatics demonstration by India’s two most popular defence aerobatic teams – Suryakiran and Sarang. This was the very first time that these two teams have performed aerobatics together in a joint performance, stopping hearts with a 13-aircraft aerobatic display – the most that the event has yet seen till date. The star attraction of the show, apart from their heart-stopping deeds, was the two teams drawing a heart each using trail smoke against the background of the blue sky, triggering gasps among the audience watching the spectacle from below.
The nine-aircraft Suryakiran team flew Hawk MKI aircraft while Sarang flew four Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) from the HAL stable.
The dress rehearsal began at 10.30 am with an emotional fly-past by a special formation of five aircraft, all India’s indigenous products – LCA trainer (LIFT Trainer), HTT-40, Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT), Advanced Hawk Mk 132 and Civil Do-228 – called 'Aatmanirbhar Formation Flight'.
Sukhoi 30 MKI, Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) will also take part in the flying display. Static display will include Do 228, Hindustan Turbo Trainer (HTT)-40 and LUH and ALH Mk III.
Aero India 2021, which has been cut to just three business days as against the normal five-day event with the last two days being public days, will also see the aviation major Boeing exhibit a range of advanced capabilities including the F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet, F-15EX, KC-46A, AH-64E Apache, P-8I, Chinook, 737-10 and 787-9. The company plans to focus on its partnerships with India’s armed forces and highlight the strategic investments it has made to develop India’s indigenous aerospace and defence ecosystem. Its stall at Aero India at Hall C (C5.2 and C5.3) has been themed “Building The Future Together” and is expected to draw much attention from business delegates.
“India’s aerospace industry is persevering through the global pandemic, which has brought significant challenges. The nation’s fundamental growth drivers remain resilient and robust, making India an attractive business destination globally, and Boeing is committed to the advancement of India’s aerospace industry,” said Salil Gupte, president, Boeing India. “We are excited about the potential for partnership and growth in India and look forward to the dialogue with our customers, partners and industry at Aero India 2021.”
Boeing has also announced the Boeing India Repair Development and Sustainment (BIRDS) hub initiative that envisions a competitive maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) ecosystem for engineering, maintenance, skilling, repair and sustainment services of defence and commercial aircraft in India, to support and strengthen India’s indigenous aerospace and defence capabilities.
Aero India 2021 has so far got a total of 601 exhibitors, of which 523 are Indian and 78 are foreign. Besides, there are 248 virtual exhibitors.
This is the first aviation event after the COVID-19 pandemic to have gone into a hybrid mode – physical attendance as well as virtual, the latter accessible through aeroindiavirtual.in, for which those interested can register through the website, and get a near-real experience of attending the event that is being held at Air Force Station Yelahanka.