The Indian Air Force is one of the world’s largest and most advanced air forces, with various capabilities. Despite its many assets, Indian Air Force’s over-reliance on foreign weaponry is its Achilles Heel. Foreign equipment may serve as a stopgap measure, still, factors such as the difficulty of importing ammunition and spares during a conflict, exacerbated by geopolitical complications, make it critical for India to invest in developing an active and dynamic aerospace industry as part of a larger Military Industrial Complex.
Since the inauguration of India’s first edition of the air show in 1996, India has witnessed a lot of developments in the field of defense and aerospace. The exhibition is conducted every two years at Yelahanka Air Force station in Bengaluru. Now Aero India is Asia’s largest defense and aerospace exhibition, organized by the Ministry of Defence Exhibition Organization.
The Indian Air Force has made a concerted push towards indigenization of its equipment as part of the Indian Government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant nation) Initiative, aimed at ensuring self-sufficiency in critical technologies. While the Indian Air Force had made similar efforts in the 1960s, the lack of a strong manufacturing base, combined with unsound economic policies and geopolitical unpredictability, put an end to such aspirations.
It was only in 2015, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi a campaign for Make in India was kickstarted. Since then, there has been a continuous rise in India’s indigenous defence participation; notable companies such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, National Aerospace Laboratories, Mahindra Aerospace, Tata Aerospace, Taneja Aerospace etc., are actively participating.
On Feb. 13, the largest iteration of the five-day Aero India event opened at the Air Force Station in Yelahanka, Bengaluru. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the 14th iteration of the biannual event. India aims to showcase expanding aerospace and defence capabilities under the theme “The runway to a billion prospects.”
India’s transformation is more evident than at Aero India, which serves as a window to measure India’s progress in the field of self-reliance, as well as showing the path of India’s relatively nascent aviation industry. The air show has been the place where foreign manufacturers compete with each other to bag lucrative deals with the Indian Air Force. Domestic and Foreign companies get together to sign agreements and memorandums, and where mega deals are also signed, as seen in the Indian Air Force’s acquisition of 83 LCA-Tejas from HAL during the 2021 Edition of the Air Show.
On each of the five days, flying shows are also scheduled. Even though Aero India is a commercial event, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said it would also seek to improve India’s relations with foreign nations. The event is anticipated to draw 98 nations, including 32 defense ministers, 29 air chiefs, more than 809 defence businesses, 73 CEOs of international and Indian original equipment manufacturers (OEM), and new startups to the industry will also be there.
The 2023 Edition of the Air Show saw heavy emphasis placed on Indian designs, with displays of large formations of Indian helicopter designs such as the “Advanced Light Helicopter” (ALH), “Light Utility Helicopter” (LUH) and “Light Combat Helicopter” (LCH), in what can be interpreted as an attempt to showcase the increased production and adoption of these platforms, along with showcasing the maturing of their capabilities through active service. The Light Combat Aircraft – Tejas also appeared as the crown jewel of India’s Aerospace industry.
The Aero India Show will emphasize India’s growth in the defense industry, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), defense space, and cutting-edge technology. In addition, the Dornier Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Tejas, HTT-40, and Advanced Light Helicopter are also promoted.
By displaying India’s defence innovations, the event will allow local MSMEs and startups to increase their footprint in the global supply chain. However, it wasn’t just the aircraft that dazzled the crowds with their manoeuvres that stole the show. On the contrary, it was the rather unimposing models unveiled by HAL at their stall that seemed to capture attention. Amongst these HAL’s “Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft” (AMCA), an ongoing project to develop India’s first 5th-generation fighter jet. The first of these was HAL’s “Hindustan Lead-In Fighter Trainer 42” (HLFT 42), a low-cost supersonic trainer aimed at training Indian pilots to operate their under-development 5th generation fighters with the capability to carry out combat missions. The HLFT 42 was accompanied by HAL’s new “Indian Multi-Role Helicopter” (IMRH), a project aimed at creating a replacement for India’s ageing fleet of Mi-8 and Mi-17 helicopters of Soviet Vintage.
Private players played a larger part in the event than in the past. While India’s aerospace Industry is dominated by HAL, efforts by the Indian Government to bring in private players have resulted in a range of new companies popping up. However, these companies focus more on smaller and less ambitious technologies like drones. To make a place for themselves in the aerospace industry, India’s existing corporate giants (Adani, Tata, Mahindra etc.) have now entered the aerospace market took a similar trajectory to that of HAL by collaborating with foreign companies who hope to supply aircraft to the Indian Air Force, and becoming their local manufacturing partners. In doing so, these companies might generate enough expertise by collaborating and conducting research and development with both foreign and Indian entities.
An analysis of the latest edition of Aero India shows mixed results. While the attendance of the PM himself shows the increasing importance to the Air Force, the fact remains that the Indian Air Force remains woefully under-strength, with just 31 operational squadrons as opposed to a sanctioned strength of 42. This number is further estimated to decrease with the phasing out of older aircraft in the coming years. Current rates of aircraft procurement are not nearly enough to ensure the Indian Air Force reaches its sanctioned strength. India’s aviation industry remains heavily dominated by HAL, with it being years, possibly decades, before private players could reach a position to break HAL’s dominance over the Indian aerospace industry.
The Indian Government has made significant efforts to get private investments and private players into the aerospace industry. This policy has now begun to lay the foundation of a competitive aerospace industry, the effects of these policies will take a while to come into being, but the signs of change have already started to show in India’s once lackadaisical aerospace industry.
In line with the “Make in India, and Make for the World” goal for a safe and prosperous future, the emphasis will be on demonstrating indigenous tools and technologies and developing relationships with international enterprises. Aero India has demonstrated the growth of a powerful and independent “New India.”
[Photo by Prime Minister’s Office, India]
Azhar Shaik is a Research Intern at the Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS) and Master’s Student in Politics and International Relations at Pondicherry University, India.
Mehul Singh Gill is a bachelor’s final year international relations student at Jindal School of International Relations, O.P. Jindal Global University, India.
