NEW DELHI: Asia's biggest aero show, Aero India 2025, to be held at the Air Force Station, Yelahanka, in Bengaluru from February 10 to 14, will have the broad theme 'The Runway to a Billion Opportunities'.
The Ministry of Defence said the event "will provide a platform for forging partnerships between foreign & Indian firms and the discovery of newer avenues in the global value chain to accelerate the indigenisation process."
The five-day event, the 15th edition, will see the participation of leading Indian and foreign manufacturers, besides delegations from friendly nations. The 14th edition of Aero India, held in 2023, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The first three days of the event (February 10th, 11th & 12th) will be business days, while 13th & 14th have been set as public days to allow people to witness the show. The event includes both air displays and static exhibitions of a large array of military platforms from the aerospace sector," the MoD said.
The event comprises a curtain raiser event, inaugural event, Defence Ministers' Conclave, CEOs' Round-Table, Manthan start-up event, breathtaking air shows, a large exhibition area comprising India Pavilion and a trade fair of aerospace companies.
To facilitate dialogue towards strategic partnership with friendly countries, "India will host the Defence Ministers' Conclave on the theme 'BRIDGE -- Building Resilience through International Defence and Global Engagement'. It encapsulates the dynamic geopolitical conditions and the path to mutual prosperity, which can be bridged through cooperation among nations with a shared vision of security and development," said the ministry.
A number of bilateral meetings are planned at the levels of Defence Minister, MoS Defence, Chief of Defence Staff and Secretary among others on the sidelines of the event.
As per the ministry, "The focus will be on bolstering the defence and aerospace ties with friendly countries by exploring newer avenues to take the partnership to the next level."
"The CEOs' Round-Table is expected to provide a favourable platform to foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for manufacturing in India. Global CEOs, CMDs of domestic PSUs and premier private defence & aerospace manufacturing companies from India will be participating in the event," it said.
The India Pavilion will showcase India's commitment to its Make-in-India initiative by showcasing indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities and cutting-edge technologies ready for the global stage, including the future prospects.
"Promotion of Indian start-ups is a focus area at Aero India 2025 and a wide spectrum of state-of-the-art technologies/products developed by them will be showcased at an exclusive iDEX pavilion," said the ministry. The Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) was launched in 2018.
In addition, dynamic aerobatic displays and live technology demonstrations will provide an immersive experience, showcasing the potential of modern aerospace platforms and technologies. A number of seminars on various important themes are also planned as part of the event.
Aero India has already carved a niche for itself globally as a premier aerospace exhibition with 14 successful editions organised since 1996 in Bengaluru.
"The last edition achieved remarkable milestones as it attracted over seven lakh visitors, dignitaries from 98 countries and 809 exhibitors including businesses, investors, start-ups & MSMEs. Over 250 partnerships, including 201 MoUs, major announcements, product launches and technology transfers worth more than Rs 75,000 crore, were witnessed. The 2025 edition aims to surpass these achievements, and promises to be even bigger in scope and grandeur," the ministry added.