Aero India, Asia's biggest aerospace and defence exhibition begins in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): The 15th edition of Aero India, which is considered to be Asia's biggest aerospace and defence exhibition, was inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Yelahanka Air Force Station here on Monday.
With the broad theme of 'The Runway to a Billion Opportunities', the five-day extravaganza will showcase India's aerial prowess and indigenous cutting-edge innovations alongside state-of-the-art products of global aerospace companies, officials said.
In line with 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' and 'Make in India, Make for the World' vision, the event will also provide a stage to forge international collaborations to fast-track the indigenisation process, thereby providing a thrust to the union government's resolve of making the country Viksit Bharat by 2047, they said.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Chief of Defence Staff, tri-service chief, among others participated in the inaugural event.
The Aero India will be held between February 10th and 14th February 2025.
February 10th to 12th have been reserved as business days, with 13th & 14th set as public days for people to witness the show.
The event comprises Defence Ministers' Conclave; CEOs Roundtable; inauguration of India & iDEX Pavilions; Manthan iDEX event; Samarthya Indigenisation event; Valedictory function; seminars; breath-taking airshows, and an exhibition of aerospace companies.
Organised in a total area of over 42,000 sq m and with the confirmed participation of over 900 exhibitors, including 150 foreign companies, the event is set to be the biggest-ever Aero India till date.
Rajnath Singh on Sunday had termed the participation of more than 90 countries as a testament to the growing global confidence in India's aerospace and defence capabilities.
"Defence ministers or representatives from about 30 countries have come to participate in this event. The presence of Air Chiefs and Secretaries from 43 countries further highlights the significance of this event - not just for India, but for the entire international defence community," he said.
Aero India is a biennial event, it was first held at Yelahanka Air Force Station, Bengaluru, in 1996.
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8 dead, dozens wounded in Russian strike on Ukraine's Odesa port
Kyiv (AP): Eight people were killed and 27 wounded in a Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa, southern Ukraine, late on Friday, Ukraine's Emergency Service said on Saturday morning.
Some of the wounded were on a bus at the epicentre of the overnight strike, the service said in a Telegram post. Trucks caught fire in the parking lot, and cars were also damaged.
The port was struck with ballistic missiles, said Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa region.
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Elsewhere, Ukrainian forces hit a Russian warship and other facilities with drones, Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement on Saturday.
The nighttime attack on Friday hit the Russian warship “Okhotnik,” according to the statement posted to the Telegram messaging app.
The ship was patrolling in the Caspian Sea near an oil and gas production platform. The extent of the damage is still being clarified, the statement added.
A drilling platform at the Filanovsky oil and gas field in the Caspian Sea was also hit. The facility is operated by Russian oil giant Lukoil. Ukrainian drones also struck a radar system in the Krasnosilske area of Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
