NEW DELHI: The 11th edition of the biennial Defence Exposition 2020 will be held in Lucknow from February 5-9. One of the biggest attractions at the expo will be the F-21 fighter jets manufactured by American aerospace giant Lockheed Martin. European aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, is also expected to showcase its latest military equipment.
The expo is likely to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, three service chiefs of India, CEOs of several national and international companies will be present at the expo. “The Defence Research and Development Organisation will exhibit more than 500 products from all technology clusters in the five-day mega expo in line with the theme of the event ‘Digital Transformation of Defence’,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
The expo will also provide a platform to local players in defence manufacturing. A Kanpur-based firm dealing in helmets and bulletproof jackets and Kanpur Ordnance Factory will also be visible at the mega event. Another major attraction will be the indigenously-developed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) such as the AIRavat T12, the 12-kg drone.
The central government has set up the Defence Industrial Corridor in UP. In this regard, the UP government has planned to build a defence manufacturing corridor along with the proposed Bundelkhand Expressway, which will help in making India self-reliant in the field of defence production.