The airshow serves as an ideal platform to spread awareness about aviation along with all career possibilities that exist for designers, scientists, technicians, metallurgists, sheet metal workers, and technologists who work near aircraft.
Asia's largest airshow is anticipated to welcome approximately a hundred thousand participants when it arrives in Bengaluru for exhibitions from 10 to 14 February 2025. This aerospace exhibition truly functions as a gateway to endless business prospects. Aero India 2023 brought visitors to Air Force Station Yelahanka Bengaluru from 13 to 17 February 2023 for its latest event. A total of 809 exhibitors participated at the event with 98 foreign exhibitors from 27 different countries while many Indian start-ups and MSMEs were also present. About 700,000 people attended this event while 53 aircraft displayed Indian air capabilities to the public. More than 250 Memorandums of Understanding partnerships together worth over Rs 75,000 crore got approved. The inaugural version of the iDEX Investor Hub (iIH) generated a pledge worth Rs 200 crore.
Major Aircraft Presence in Aero India 2025
The inaugural function of 10th February will witness an impressive aviation display featuring the IAF's flying demonstration. For the first time, LCA Mk1A will appear at an airshow. Aero India 2025 marks its place in history as the event where people worldwide first witness both fifth-generation fighters that originate from Western and Russian industries. The Lockheed F-35 Lightning II will join the Russian Sukhoi Su-57 ‘Felon’ display.
Su-57 from the Russian Federation versus The U.S. F-35 Lightning II, in the same Airstrip together, Centre of attraction
For the first time ever, Russian Su-57 and the American F-35 will stand face-to-face at Aero India 2025.
A majority of MRFA competition participants will join India's competition. The display featured Indian fighter jets Su-30 MKI, Rafale, and LCA joined by Surya Kiran formation acts. Another premiere of Aero India 2025 will be the appearance of the 'Surya Kiran' formation aerobatics team. The Made-in-India C-295 will be present. The United States Air Force now officially backs the attendance at Aero India 2025 while planning to send two F-16 and two F-35 fighter jet aircraft. The Republic Day flypast lacks the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, yet it will perform at Aero India 2025. The helicopter will participate in the air flight spectacle and stand exhibitions alongside other displays.
Seminars and Conferences
Numerous international military groups participate in the airshows. The defence ministers meet for sessions alongside air force chiefs who come together with DRDO and HAL aeronautical scientists to present. The Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) hold seminars. The specially set up media centre serves as the location for conducting media briefings. The organizational relationships between research organizations facilitate mutual interaction at these events. Multiple media organizations create official event guides that report on force briefings and official statements during exhibitions. Reporting includes both lunches and dinners which take place during social events. Airshows function as networking events that unite every member of the aviation field to share knowledge and contact one another.
Business Interactions
The main purpose of the Airshow involves product promotion alongside aviation exhibitions. The industry uses the Airshow as an opportunity to show products to senior government and military officials at their stalls. Decisions of authority rest with visiting delegations who participate in the airshow. Aircraft shows serve as platforms to formally introduce deals which started as negotiations before the event. Several Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreements were executed at this time. The working-level aviation experts in the armed forces encounter various representatives from across the industry.
The national push for self-reliance will lead more manufacturing industries to establish their production facilities in India. The Indian market hosts multinationals including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Dassault Aviation, General Electric, British Aerospace, Airbus, Safran, Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), Russian Helicopters and others that are actively increasing their operations in the country. Defence Public Sector Undertakings [DPSUs] branding HAL, BDL, and BEL together with aviation-related DRDO labs ADA, ADE, and CABS operate as significant entities within India.
Major Indian private players and joint ventures like Tata Group, Adani, Bharat Forge, Mahindra Defence Systems, BrahMos Aerospace, Astra Microwave Products Ltd, Taneja Aerospace and Aviation Ltd, and Samtel Group, among others. Several drone companies operate in India including Zen Technologies, IdeaForge, Paras Aerospace, NewSpace Research and Technologies, Veda Aeronautics and more.
Airshows are one place for all from the aviation community to network and exchange information. Image: PTI
The Yelahanka event marked the first Aero India show in 1996 which continues as its 15th edition this year.
“The objective behind the event is to strengthen both Make-in-India and indigenization programs known as “Atmanirbharta” in the aviation sector. The event is managed by Defence Exhibition Organisation under the administration of the Ministry of Defence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially started the previous edition in 2022”
Air Shows Evolve
Aero-mobile showcases known as air shows or air tattoos occur as public exhibitions of aircraft and their supporting systems. Shows exist in two forms either as an exclusive military or civilian aviation exhibition or they can combine elements of both. The air show features parked aircraft on displays with aerobatic flight performances taking place in the sky. The event takes place in an airbase that provides space to accommodate aircraft parking alongside other equipment. An airshow's greatness directly corresponds to its exhibit area size in combination with participant numbers.
“The Grande Semaine d’Aviation de la Champagne, France staged its inaugural public international aircraft display and flight event from August 22nd to 29th 1909 at Reims France. Before WWII air shows consisted of lengthy flying competitions spanning thousands of kilometres over several days.”
Air Races
A ‘heavier-than-air’ aviation race was established on 23 May 1909 when the Prix de Lagatinerie took flight at Port-Aviation airport south of Paris in France. It meant flying ten 1.2-kilometre laps. Reims marked history as the location where the first significant international aircraft event of 1909 took place. Glenn Curtiss became the victor when he took the first Gordon Bennett Trophy. A seaplane competition called the Schneider Trophy took place for the first time in 1913. A US Army Transcontinental Air Race with 4,345 km traversed from Long Island to San Francisco in October 1919 before returning to New York. The National Air Meets held by the United States in 1921 transformed into the National Air Races when they started in 1924. The National Air Races existed from 1924 until 1949.
In 1930 England organized the aviation race known as the Aga Khan Race against India. The organizers scheduled the race to market aviation services in India. Three competitors JRD Tata together with Manmohan Singh and Aspy Engineer took part in the London-Karachi air race. Flight participants needed to complete Karachi to Croydon Airport England in the first stage before continuing the race to India. Aga Khan Air Race winner Aspy Engineer beat both competitors including JRD Tata to be the first one to reach India before JRD Tata could land in England.
In 1934 the MacRobertson Air Race conducted its flight route from England to Australia. Southwest Airlines began operating jet services from California to Nevada in 1965 leading to the National Championship Air Races relocating to Reno Stead Airport where they remain every September since 1966. Other promoters used to organize pylon racing events throughout the United States and Canada. During 2003 Red Bull introduced the Red Bull Air Race World Championship as a series featuring individual contestants flying between two pylons while performing specific flight manoeuvres. Red Bull closed the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in 2019.
IAF’s Sarang Helicopter.
Major Airshows
Le Bourget (Paris) along with Farnborough Dubai and Singapore operate as the premier airshows globally. The major airshows consist of MAKS Moscow along with the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (Zhuhai) and Aero India (Yelahanka). EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in Wisconsin holds the title of the largest aircraft fly-in so far. Each year it welcomes about 10,000 participants alongside 1400 workshops and forums and draws 650,000 visitors.
Every July the annual Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) established itself as the globally biggest military air show at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire while supporting Royal Air Force Charitable Trust operations. The show gains visitor numbers between 150,000 and 200,000 people for both days of its duration. The annual airshows schedule in every nation aligns with seasonal favourable weather. The major air expos include participation from formation aerobatic teams such as the United States Navy Blue Angels, and the United States Air Force Thunderbirds alongside the Royal Air Force Red Arrows, Indian Air Force Surya Kiran, and Sarang.
Aircraft Demonstrations
Most countries showcase their latest aircraft capabilities through solo military demos. The aerial performance demonstrates both the aircraft's ability to facilitate short take-offs along with quick elevation angles and high-velocity flight speeds together with sharp rate of turn capability and precise flight management across different speed ranges concluding with slow descent rates. The cobra manoeuvre is achievable through thrust vectoring on Russian fighter jets alongside a vertical aerial display by Vertical Take-off and Landing aircraft such as the Harrier. There exist military aircraft which demonstrate combat manoeuvres involving two aircraft at once.
IAF Su-30 MKI is taking off. Image: PTI
Flight and Ground Safety
Flight safety assumes greater importance because aircraft operate at their performance boundaries during activities involving large crowds. Every airshow necessitates the appointment of a Flight Display Director (FDD). The air display rules are developed by FDD. The aircraft operating area shows visible no-crossing lines which crews receive detailed information about. Display minimum heights are stipulated. Multiple cameras permanently record the whole display area. Participating aircrew attend daily combined briefings at which they receive information about weather safety before being briefed by the FDD. Any in-flight display can be halted by the FDD whenever he detects or anticipates that display limits are violated.
Most companies operate their stalls from sizable temporary exhibition halls. Extensive numbers of visitors access these exhibition halls each day. Considerable lighting measures along with air-conditioning existed throughout the halls. Food heating facilities exist in numerous halls of operation. The parking area contains numerous vehicles as well. The present conditions demand fire protection measures because safety remains at risk.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
*The views expressed are personal to the author and do not reflect the platform's opinion of the same.
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About the author
Manish Kumar pursued a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Amity University, Haryana. He is an enthusiastic and dedicated writer, who has worked with several ministries of the Government of India and contributed his voice to major campaigns and programmes. Being devoted to practising significant journalism, Manish does his best to become a voice of change in society. Not only does he tell but also persuade, which is indicative of his strong conviction in the perspective of media.
