Bengaluru: Aero India 2025, a confluence of critical and frontier technologies, will provide a platform to further strengthen relations among like-minded countries based on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual benefit to address today’s uncertainties, said Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh while inaugurating the 15th edition of Aero India at Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru, Karnataka, today. He expressed confidence that Aero India 2025 will showcase India’s industrial capability and technological advancements to the world while further strengthening partnerships with friendly countries. Lasting peace, he said, can only be achieved if nations become stronger together and work towards a better world order.
The five-day event will see participation from government representatives, industry leaders, air force officers, scientists, defence sector experts, start-ups, academia and other stakeholders from across the world. This gathering, Rajnath Singh said, will bring India’s partners closer for the benefit of all.
“We often interact as buyers and sellers, keeping our relations at a transactional level. However, we also forge partnerships beyond the buyer-seller relationship to the level of industrial collaboration. We have many successful examples of co-production and co-development with like-minded countries. For us, there is no Indian security or Indian peace in isolation. Security, stability and peace are shared constructs that transcend national borders. The presence of our foreign friends is a sign that they share our vision of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’,” he said.
In the current global environment of uncertainty, India stands out as a major nation witnessing both peace and prosperity, Rajnath Singh said. He added that India has never attacked any country nor engaged in great power rivalry, remaining an advocate of peace and stability in line with its fundamental ideals. He told defence ministers, senior officials and representatives of foreign original equipment manufacturers present at the event that their cooperation with India is essential for global peace, prosperity and stability.
India is undergoing a transformational phase, rapidly progressing from a developing to a developed nation, he said. A vibrant and thriving defence industry ecosystem has been created in the country due to a well-planned roadmap laid out by the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The defence industrial sector, which was previously not seen as a key component of the national economy, is now fully integrated with the country’s economic growth. The sector, he said, is powering the growth engine of the Indian economy.
The record allocation of ₹6.81 lakh crore to the Ministry of Defence in the Union Budget 2025-26, including ₹1.80 lakh crore for capital acquisition, is a reflection of the government’s commitment to strengthening the sector. Like in the previous budget, 75 per cent of the modernisation budget has been reserved for procurement through domestic sources to enhance and expand India’s defence industrial base.
Rajnath Singh reiterated the government’s commitment to increasing the participation of private players in the country’s defence growth story. “The private sector is going to play a big role in mainstreaming economic growth. With its drive, resilience and entrepreneurship, it can bring a new wave of prosperity to the country. In many advanced nations, private industry has led defence production. The time has come for the sector here to become an equal partner in defence manufacturing,” he said.
He highlighted that defence manufacturers are adopting a collaborative approach to strengthen the sector, citing the joint venture between Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Airbus for the production of C-295 transport aircraft in Gujarat as a prime example. He said India has now become a globally preferred destination for aerospace components and complex system assembly, with both public and private industries playing a crucial role in this transformation.
Reflecting on the achievements made since the last edition of Aero India, he noted that several high-tech products, including the Astra Missile, New Generation Akash Missile, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Unmanned Surface Vessel and Pinaka Guided Rocket, are now being manufactured within the country. He reaffirmed the government’s determination to surpass ₹1.27 lakh crore in defence production and ₹21,000 crore in defence exports in the coming years, ensuring the sector moves forward at an unprecedented pace. During the curtain-raiser press conference of Aero India 2025 on Thursday, he had expressed confidence that defence production will exceed ₹1.60 lakh crore by the end of 2025-26, with defence exports surpassing ₹30,000 crore.
On 2025 being declared as the ‘Year of Reforms’ in the Ministry of Defence, he said this is not just a slogan but a commitment to transformation. He stressed that reform decisions are being taken not just at the ministry level but also with the involvement of the armed forces and defence public sector undertakings. “To accelerate these reforms, all stakeholders in the defence sector must participate. Suggestions from all those associated with the ministry are welcome,” he said.
Welcoming distinguished guests from across the world, Rajnath Singh highlighted India’s tradition of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’, meaning ‘A Guest is Equivalent to God’, which, he said, is evident at the Maha Kumbh underway in Prayagraj. “While Maha Kumbh is the Kumbh of introspection, Aero India is the Kumbh of research. While Maha Kumbh is focusing on internal strength, Aero India will centre on external strength. While Maha Kumbh showcases the culture of India, Aero India will display the power of India,” he added.
The 15th edition of Asia’s biggest aerospace and defence exhibition will showcase India’s aerial prowess and indigenous cutting-edge innovations alongside state-of-the-art products from global aerospace companies. In line with the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ vision, the event will provide a platform to foster international collaborations to accelerate indigenisation efforts, supporting the government’s resolve to make India a developed nation by 2047.
February 10 to 12 have been designated as business days, with February 13 and 14 open to the public to witness the airshow. The event includes the Defence Ministers’ Conclave, CEOs Roundtable, inauguration of the India and iDEX pavilions, the Manthan iDEX event, the Samarthya Indigenisation event, the valedictory function, seminars, aerial displays and an exhibition featuring aerospace companies.
Raksha Rajya Mantri Sanjay Seth, Chief Minister of Nagaland Neiphiu Rio, Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka DK Shiva Kumar, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief Secretary of Karnataka Shalini Rajneesh, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar and Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal SP Dharkhar were among those present.
BI Bureau
