Aero India 2009 throws up opportunities

A F-16N Super Viper at the Aero India 2009 in Bangalore. Picture copyright PTI.

Bangalore: The five-day Aero India 2009, during which Global aviation majors and national firms displayed flying prowess of their machines, concluded at the Yelahanka Airbase here on Sunday.

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Tens of thousands of aviation enthusiasts turned up to watch "magnificent flying metal birds", especially on the last two days when the show was open for public, as a slew of MoUs and agreements were signed during the event organised by the Ministry of Defence and managed by the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Agustawestland, a Finmeccanica company, and Tata Sons inked an MoU for formation of an Indian joint-venture company which would establish a final assembly line for manufacture of AW-119 helicopters in India.

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Also, Tata Advanced Materials Ltd (TAML), a Tata Group Company, and global firm Saab signed a business agreement for manufacture of structural composite components.

In sharp focus were six companies -- Lockheed Martin and Boeing from the United States, Russia's MiG, which is part of the 'UAC,' France's Dassault, Sweden's Saab and the EADS consortium of British, German, Spanish and Italian companies -- who are in race for a Rs 40,000-Rs 45,000 crore contract to supply 126 fighter jets to India.

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Aviation major Hindustan Aeronautics Limited handed over the first batch of five Advanced Light Helicopters - Dhruv - to the Ecuador Air Force.

Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) and Boeing signed an MoU to develop an analysis and experimentation Centre in India to offer customers the "ability to make better informed decisions" in modernising India's defence forces.

While BEML announced the establishment of an aerospace manufacturing division, Russian Helicopters JSC along with its Indian joint venture partner Vectra Group, said they would launch an MRO (maintenance, repair, overhaul) facility near Chandigarh to service Russian-made civil aircraft.

About 600 companies from 26 countries participated in the premier air show of South Asia, which was also not short on public relation exercises.

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Lockheed Martin flew Olympic shooting champion Abhinav Bindra in the F-16N Super Viper while Rtd Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, India's only cosmonaut, and the Congress MP and industrialist Naveen Jindal flew in Boeing's F/A18 Super Hornet fighter jet.

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