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Gujarat is all set to host India’s largest ever defense expo – DefExpo 2022 – between October 18 and 22, 2022

Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat, is all set to host India’s largest ever defense expo – DefExpo 2022 – between October 18 and 22, 2022. This 12th edition of the event has been organized under the theme ‘Road to Pride’.Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will grace the inauguration ceremony on 19th October. Addressing a press conference in Gandhinagar on October 17, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh said that DefExpo 2022 will showcase the growing prowess of the domestic defense industry, which is one of the main drivers of the nation’s commitment to ‘Make in India’, Make for the World’ as envisioned premiere. The biennial exhibition was organized to promote, showcase and forge partnerships for the Indian aerospace and defense manufacturing sector with both Indian and global customers to achieve the overall objective of meeting domestic demands while fulfilling the needs of friendly foreign countries.

Shri Rajnath Singh termed DefExpo 2022, exclusively for Indian companies, as a humble tribute ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ to the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, who was the pillar of the Swadeshi movement. “DefExpo 2022 during ‘Amrit Kaal’ reflects India’s commitment to be among the leading countries in the defense and aerospace sector in the next 25 years. Under the dynamic leadership of our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, the defense industry has taken giant strides on the ‘Road to Pride’ with passion and determination to achieve the goal of ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence. We are rapidly moving towards becoming a pioneer in design, development and manufacturing on a global scale. We are witnessing a transformational journey from the largest defense importer to a net exporter. This DefExpo will further accelerate the pace of this journey,” he added.

Raksha Mantri described the “Road to Pride” not only as the theme of DefExpo 2022 but as “Make in India, Create for the World” vision of the “New India”. He called it a continuous process in which all stakeholders – public and private sectors, SMEs, academia, start-ups and research and development facilities – work together to deliver innovative ideas and cutting-edge products to the world.

Registration record

Organized on the largest total area of ​​more than 1,000 m2 to date (the previous edition was 76,000 m2) and with a record registration of 1,340 companies, DefExpo 2022 is set to be the largest defense exhibition to date. For the first time, the event was organized in a four-place format. The inaugural ceremony and seminars will be held at the Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre; Exhibition at the Helipad Exhibition Centre; Live demonstrations at Sabarmati River Front and boat visits for the public at Porbandar. The first three days (18 to 20 October) will be working days, the last two days (21 and 22 October) are reserved for the public.

DefExpo for Indian companies

DefExpo 2022 will be the first ever edition exclusively for Indian companies. Indian companies, Indian subsidiaries of foreign OEMs, a division of a company registered in India, an exhibitor having a joint venture with an Indian company will be considered as Indian participants. DefExpo 2022 will also mark one year since the creation of seven new defense companies, carved out of the former Ordnance Factory Board. All these companies will be participating in DefExpo for the first time. During the Bandhan ceremony on October 20, 451 partnerships in terms of MoUs, technology transfer agreements and product launches are expected, which is almost double the last edition.

The India Pavilion – the landmark Ministry of Defense Manufacturing Pavilion – will showcase the maturity of indigenous defense products, start-ups and the latest technologies, including artificial intelligence in defence, while showcasing India’s vision for 2047. In addition, there will be an exclusive Innovations for Defense Excellence (iDEX) Pavilion , which will showcase the prowess of the country’s startups conducting R&D and innovation in futuristic technologies.

For the first time, States/Union Territories (UTs) have been invited to set up pavilions at the event. Raksha Mantri emphasized that with this new initiative, states/UTs will get an opportunity to participate in nation building by attracting investment and enhancing their domestic aerospace and defense manufacturing potential.

International participation

Seventy-five (75) countries will participate in DefExpo 2022. Raksha Mantri will host the second India-Africa Defense Dialogue (IADD) on October 18, while the Indian Ocean Region Plus (IOR+) conclave will take place on October 19. More than 53 African countries were invited to the IADD and 44 to the IOR+ conclave. Several defense ministers from Africa and the IOR+ region have confirmed their participation.

“The IADD and the IOR+ Conclave will be two very important events to promote peace, security, prosperity and defense cooperation across the region and forge new defense and industrial partnerships,” said Shri Rajnath Singh.

Main attractions

Live demonstrations showcasing the equipment and skill set of the Armed Forces, DPSU and Industry will be held on all five days at the Sabarmati River Front through active participation and synchronized efforts at all levels. Demonstrations include Sarang acrobatic displays, search and rescue operations, free fall combat and paratrooper activities. Boat tours for the public were organized by the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast in Porbandar.

Another highlight of the event will be the biggest ever drone show by IIT Delhi start-up M/s Botlabs, which is the winner of iDEX. Around 1,600 drones will light up the sky during the October 19 show, which will be a public event.

For the first time, there will be ‘Invest for Defence’, the first ever marquee of the Ministry of Defence, aimed at promoting investment in the country’s defense sector from both Indian industry and foreign OEMs. It will be launched by Raksha Mantri on October 20. Shri Rajnath Singh said that the event will be an important platform for prominent industrialists as they can contribute to the Government’s efforts to develop the defense industrial ecosystem in the country and become part of the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ resolution. He added that the event will support the growth of SMEs and start-ups in the country to become participants in the global supply chain and create new job opportunities.

The Raksha Mantri Awards for Excellence in Defense Manufacturing are also being held for the first time during DefExpo.

Seminars

Seminars during the event will take place in a hybrid format that will allow virtual participation for both presenters and the audience. These will be broadcast worldwide on the Ministry of Defense Production YouTube channel. The seminars will be conducted by leading industry associations, think tanks, Indian Defense Public Sector Entities, Service Headquarters (SHQ), Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA), Ministry of Civil Aviation and State. Government etc.

These seminars will broadly cover topics like exports, financing and investments in defense start-ups and SMEs, emerging role of MSMEs in aerospace manufacturing and MRO, Aatmanirbharta in defense research and development, futuristic autonomous technologies for air dominance etc. Leading international and national experts from the Defense and Aerospace sectors are speakers at various seminars. Shri Rajnath Singh said that the seminars will be an important platform to provide inputs and action points for further development of the defense sector.

Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendrabhai Rajnikant Patel; Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt; Minister of State for Industries, Government of Gujarat Shri Jagdishbhai Ishwarbhai Vishwakarma (Panchal); Minister of Defense, Dr. Ajay Kumar; The press conference was attended by Chief Secretary to the Government of Gujarat, Shri Pankaj Kumar and other senior officials of the Ministry of Defense and Government of Gujarat.

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