Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open the 14th edition of Asia's largest aero show, Aero India 2023, in Bengaluru.

The five-day event will highlight indigenous equipment and technologies while also forging partnerships with foreign companies.

The theme of Aero India 2023 is "The Runway to a Billion Opportunities," according to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

The 'CEOs Round Table', under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, will be held on February 13 on the theme 'Sky is not the limit: opportunities beyond boundaries'.

“Prime Minister’s emphasis on Aatmanirbharta in the Indian Defence sector will also be displayed, as the event will showcase the country’s progress in design leadership, growth in UAVs Sector, Defence Space and futuristic technologies. Further, the event will promote the export of indigenous air platforms like Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Tejas, HTT-40, Dornier Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH),” the PMO said in a statement.

The event will also aid in the integration of domestic MSMEs and start-ups into the global supply chain, as well as attract foreign investments and partnerships for co-development and co-production.

More than 80 countries will take part in Aero India 2023. Aero India 2023 is expected to attract ministers from around 30 countries as well as 65 CEOs from global and Indian OEMs.

Aero India 2023 will feature over 800 defence companies, including approximately 100 foreign and 700 Indian companies.

MSMEs and start-ups from India will participate in the exhibition, showcasing the advancement of niche technologies as well as the country's growth in aerospace and defence capabilities.

Airbus, Boeing, Dassault Aviation, Lockheed Martin, Israel Aerospace Industry, BrahMos Aerospace, Army Aviation, HC Robotics, SAAB, Safran, Rolls Royce, Larsen & Toubro, Bharat Forge Limited, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), and BEML Limited are among the major exhibitors at Aero India 2023.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the five-day event will demonstrate the rise of a strong and self-sufficient 'New India' by showcasing India's growth in aerospace and defence capabilities.

In line with the 'Make in India, Make for the World' vision for a secure and prosperous future, the emphasis will be on showcasing indigenous equipment or technologies and forging partnerships with foreign companies.

Addressing the curtain raiser press conference in Bengaluru on Sunday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated that the Aero India 2023 will showcase the country’s manufacturing prowess and the progress achieved towards realising the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ as envisioned by the Prime Minister.

“This event will significantly contribute to the development of the aerospace and aviation sector,” he said.

Singh said that February 13 to 15 will be business days, while 16 and 17 have been set as public days to allow people to witness the show.

The event comprises a Defence Ministers’ Conclave; a CEOs Round Table; a Manthan start-up event; Bandhan ceremony; breath-taking air shows; a large exhibition; India Pavilion and a trade fair of aerospace companies.

“Organised at Air Force Station, Yelahanka in a total area of around 35,000 sqm, the event, the biggest-ever till date, is likely to witness the participation of 98 countries. The Defence Ministers of 32 countries, Air Chiefs of 29 countries and 73 CEOs of global and Indian OEMs are expected to attend the event. Eight hundred and nine (809) defence companies, including MSMEs and start-ups, will showcase the advancement in niche technologies and the growth in the aerospace and defence sector,” the Ministry said.

Singh described India's track record of international participation as reflecting not only India's buyer-seller relationships with various countries, but also their shared vision of global prosperity.

The Defence Minister emphasised that Aero India 2023 will give a new impetus to the government's efforts to build a vibrant and world-class domestic defence industry in order to achieve the goal of 'Aatmanirbharta' in defence as well as the nation's overall development.

“A strong and self-reliant defence sector will play a pivotal role in helping India emerge as one of the top three world economies in the times to come. Achievements in the defence sector provide wide spin-off benefits to the Indian economy. The technologies developed in the field are equally useful for civilian purposes. In addition, a temperament towards science & technology and innovation is created in the society, which helps in the overall development of the nation,” he said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will also host Defence Ministers’ Conclave on February 14.

Defence Ministers of friendly foreign countries will participate in the meeting, which has been organised on the theme ‘Shared Prosperity through Enhanced Engagements in Defence (SPEED). The conclave would address aspects related to deepening cooperation for capacity building (through investments, R&D, joint venture, co-development, co-production and provisioning of defence equipment), training, space, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and maritime security to grow together. The conclave is an opportunity for the defence ministers to engage with each other to carry forward the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ vision.

Singh termed the Defence Ministers’ Conclave as an extremely important event, which he said, will justify its theme by providing ‘SPEED’ to the increasing defence cooperation with friendly countries.

A number of bilateral meetings will be held on the sidelines of Aero India among defence ministers, ministers of state for defence, chiefs of defence staff and defence secretaries.

The annual defence innovation event, Manthan, will be the flagship technology showcase event to be held on February 15.

Being organised by Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), the Manthan platform will bring the leading innovators, start-ups, MSMEs, incubators, academia and Investors from defence and aerospace ecosystem under one roof. The Raksha Mantri will preside over the event.

The ‘India Pavilion’, based on ‘Fixed Wing Platform’ theme, will showcase India’s growth in the area, including the future prospects.

There will be a total of 115 companies, displaying 227 products. It will further showcase the growth of India in developing an ecosystem for Fixed Wing platform which includes the demonstrating of various structural modules, simulators, systems (LRUs) etc. of LCA-Tejas aircraft being produced by Private Partners.

There will also be a section for Defence space, New Technologies and a UAV section which will give an insight about the growth of India in each sector.

A full scale LCA-Tejas aircraft in Full Operational Capability (FOC) configuration will be at the center stage of India Pavilion.