India’s biennial airshow Aero India is a showcase to New Delhi’s aspirations to emerge as an international Aerospace & Defence (A&D) power in its own right. On show at the 16th edition of Aero India, is India’s growing domestic military...
To read the full article, please log in or enter your email below:
India’s biennial airshow Aero India is a showcase to New Delhi’s aspirations to emerge as an international Aerospace & Defence (A&D) power in its own right. On show at the 16th edition of Aero India, is India’s growing domestic military aviation design and development capability and New Delhi’s quest to leverage defence procurements to grow the domestic defence industry ecosystem.
India Ministry of Defence (MoD) will also be seeking greater ‘Bang-for-the-Buck’ for its USD80 billion dollar, annual defence budget, announced for the year 2025. The Government of India led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, announced a provision of Rupees 6.8 trillion to the MoD for FY 2025-26. Approximately US$21 billion, the equivalent of Rupees 1.8 trillion has been allocated as the capital outlay for the MoD.
As per the Indian MoD, Rupees 1.49 trillion, the equivalent of US$17.5 billion is planned to be spent on acquisition of new military equipment for the modernisation of the Indian armed forces, while the remaining Rupees 312 billion, worth nearly US$4 billion has been allocated for capital expenditure on Research & Development (R&D) and creation of infrastructural assets across the country. “In the current geopolitical scenario where the world is witnessing a changing paradigm of modern warfare, Indian Armed Forces need to be equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and have to be transformed into a technologically-advanced combat-ready force,” an Indian MoD spokesperson said. Some of the major acquisitions planned in 2025-26 are related to procurement of High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) and Medium-Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft(RPA), stage payments for the Navy’s new Rafale-M fighter jets, contracts for next generation submarines/ships/platforms, etc.
A substantial portion of India’s defence modernisation budget is now being earmarked for capital procurement from domestic industries. The MoD has earmarked 75 percent of the modernisation budget (Rupees 1.15 trillion) for procurement through domestic sources and 25 percent of this domestic share (Rupees 278 billion) Rs 27,886.21 crore has been provisioned for procurement through domestic private industries.
The growth of India’s indigenous A&D industry is most event with the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and state-owned airframer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). ADA is tasked with design and development of the nation’s manned fixed-wing fighters and is showcasing a Full Scale Engineering Mockup of its 5th generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) for the first time. In addition to this, it is also showcasing scale models of the LCA Mk2 and the Twin-Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF). ADA is the design agency for the Tejas Mk-1 and Mk-1A, which cumulatively have orders from the air force for 123 aircraft, with orders for an additional 97 aircraft expected shortly.
HAL now boasts of a growing portfolio of indigenously developed aircraft and helicopters. HAL has unveiled the prototype of its Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) Warrior concept, which was first unveiled in 2021. HAL announced in January this year, that it had successfully conducted the engine ground run of the CATS – Warrior Full-Scale Demonstrator (FSD).
HAL is currently producing Tejas Mk-1, Mk-1A fighter jets and the Hindustan Turbo Trainer 40 (HTT-40) which is a basic trainer aircraft. In addition to this it is continuing with the development of the Hindustan Jet Trainer 36 (HJT-36) and at Aero India 2023 had unveiled its Hindustan Lead in Fighter Trainer (HLFT-42). HAL has also emerged as a rotorcraft powerhouse with the indigenously designed and developed Dhruv ALH, Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH). HAL’s Prachand LCH is the only attack helicopter in the world which can land and take-off at an altitude of 5000m (16,400 ft.) with considerable load of weapons and fuel. HAL is now also progressing with the design and development of the 13 tonne class Indian Multirole Helicopter (IMRH), which is expected to enter service in the next decade.
Aero India remains an important market for those seeking a share of India’s A&D requirements. New Delhi has uniquely balanced its defence purchases between the USA, Europe and Russia and companies in all these nations are hungry to grow their share. However, they now need to contend with India’s increasingly capable domestic defence industry ecosystem, which is developing fighter jets, helicopters, trainers, warships, nuclear submarines, missiles, et all. New Delhi is no longer satisfied with off-the-shelf purchases and this is the message that is being sent out, loud and clear at the ongoing airshow.
HENSOLDT has entered into a partnership with TUM Venture Labs, an initiative led by the Technical University of Munich and…
Startical, a collaboration between ENAIRE and Indra, has launched its first satellite, IOD-1 (In-Orbit Demonstrator-1), as part of the Transporter-13…
Korean Air is set to improve its services with an upgrade to airport lounges and the introduction of Premium Economy…
Thales and Malaysia Airlines have entered into a long-term agreement for the provision of avionics component availability and repair services…
Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd. and Elbit Systems Ltd. have secured a contract to provide an Integrated Maritime Electronic Warfare…
The Indonesian government has announced that GMF AeroAsia, a subsidiary of the national carrier Garuda Indonesia, will establish an aircraft…
JetBlu and its fuel partners marked the first-ever regular supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for commercial air travel in…
Overwatch, a British aerospace and defence group specialising in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), has entered into a collaboration agreement with…
AEGEAN, Greece's largest airline, has confirmed an order for eight more Airbus A321neo aircraft to bolster its network and support…
SATS Ltd. (SATS) and Vietnam Airlines JSC (VNA) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly build and…
The Air Astana Group reported significant growth in 2024, carrying nine million passengers across its two airline brands. This figure…
Airbus Helicopters concluded the VERTICON 2025 event in Dallas, United States, with 118 commitments, including 63 firm orders, for its…
The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) has received four additional Fast Interceptor Craft (FIC) G2000 MKII vessels at the TLDM base…
Systems Engineering & Assessment (SEA) Ltd. has extended its contract with Lumut Naval Shipyard (LUNAS) to supply a fixed triple…
Archer Aviation and Palantir Technologies are partnering to build the artificial intelligence (AI) foundation for next-gen aviation technologies. The companies…
The French Army has selected Exail to conduct a Tactical Evaluation (EVTA) of advanced driving simulators. The initiative is led…
GDAT, one of China’s most prominent helicopter operators, has signed an HCare In-Service contract with Airbus to cover ten H225…
Eve Air Mobility (Eve) and South Korea’s UI Helicopter have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the development…
At Verticon 2025 in Dallas, Leonardo announced securing nearly 30 helicopter orders for the AW109 GrandNew, AW169, AW139, and AW189…
Effective from 13th March 2025, Air Astana Group is introducing stricter regulations on the transport of lithium batteries and battery-powered…
DSA and NATSEC Asia 2026 is poised to build on the achievements of the 2024 event, where the Ministry of…
AAR CORP. has secured a multi-year agreement to deliver nacelle maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for Cebu Pacific Air's A320…
Exail has partnered with Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB), part of the EDGE Group, and the Technology Innovation Institute (TII)…
The New York State Police has placed an order for one Airbus H160 and three H145 helicopters, becoming the first…
Clarivate has released its 2025 Top 100 Global Innovators list, recognising organisations that are advancing technology research and innovation. Among…
Indra Group has introduced IndraMind, an intelligence system aimed at enhancing the automation of critical operations and improving multi-domain operational…
The UK’s National Police Air Service (NPAS) has placed an order for seven Airbus H135 helicopters as part of the…
Metro Aviation has signed an agreement with Airbus Helicopters for up to 36 H140 helicopters to be used in emergency…
Aircraft leasing company Jackson Square Aviation (JSA) has placed an order for 50 Airbus A320neo Family aircraft. This marks JSA’s…
Global Medical Response (GMR) has signed an agreement with Airbus Helicopters for up to 15 H140 helicopters for emergency medical…
Headquartered in Singapore with reporters spread across all major regions, GBP Aerospace & Defence is a leading media house that publishes three publications that serve the aerospace and defence sector - Asian Defence Technology, Asian Airlines & Aerospace and Daily News. Known industry-wide for quality journalism, GBP Aerospace & Defence is present at more international tradeshows and exhibitions than any other competing publication in the region.
For over three decades, our award-winning team of reporters has been producing top-notch content to help readers stay abreast of the latest developements in the field of commercial aviation, MRO, defence, and Space.
Copyright 2024. GBP. All Rights Reserved.
Home Defence & Security Space Commercial Aviation Maintence Repair & Overhaul Daily News Events About Us
2025 GBP all rights reserved.