The 13th edition of Aero India, touted to be the first global air show amidst the pandemic, is set to begin on February 3. The biennale air show and exhibition, hosted by the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Exhibition Organisation, will be held at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru. During this show, manufacturers and service providers from the Indian aerospace and aviation industry meet potential buyers of their products.
In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, apart from the prerequisite protocols like wearing masks and sanitising hands, visitors will also have to do an RT-PCR test 72 hours prior to the event. Only those with a COVID-19 negative test report will be allowed entry. Ticket purchase and registration to attend the exhibition virtually can be done here.
There will be a lot to witness during the three-day event, which is India’s first hybrid air show, where delegates will be able to participate physically as well as virtually. Here are the three highlights of Aero India’s latest edition.
There will be a unique flying display of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited or HAL’s indigenous platforms (both fixed and rotary wing), titled ‘Aatmanirbhar Formation Flight’. Comprising HAL products such as LCA trainer (LIFT Trainer), HTT-40, IJT, Advanced Hawk Mk 132 and Civil Do-228 will fly in a special formation, showcasing the spectrum of trainers and signifying self-sufficiency in the trainer segment.
HTT-40, Advanced Hawk Mk 132 and Civil Do-228 will be available for customer demonstration flights. Sukhoi 30 MKI, Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) will also take part in the flying display. The static display will include Do 228, Hindustan Turbo Trainer (HTT)-40 and LUH and ALH Mk III.
HAL’s major attraction at HALL-E will be the Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) simulator. The simulator will have TEJAS–MAX cockpit as the mother-ship platform.
The immersive visualisation of the mission will be projected on a wider screen.
An American B-1B Lancer heavy bomber will perform a fly-by at the Aero India 2021. Of the 28 Bomb Wing based out of Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, this bomber has the largest conventional payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the US Air Force. Considered the backbone of America’s long-range bomber force, B-1B has been built to rapidly deliver massive quantities of precision and non-precision weapons against enemies anywhere in the world. The bomber has as many as 50 world records for speed, payload, range, and time of climb in its class.
The heavy bomber’s fly-by symbolises the deepening of Indo-US defence and strategic planning between the countries. “US participation in Aero India 2021 reflects our increasingly close bilateral defence ties and our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” read the statement released by the US Consulate.
In addition to the fly-by, the US Air Force Band of the Pacific, which is based in Hawaii, is all set to perform at the event, along with Indian percussion (ghatam) artist Giridhar Udupa. The US Embassy has also decided to broadcast the performance — being performed in the spirit of bilateral support for India’s first hybrid defence exhibition — on a later date.