Show-stopper at Aero India 2021

Of the 48 exhibitors, 23 French companies registered for the show, followed by six American companies
About two months away from Asia’s largest airshow, registrations for Aero India 2021 are constantly growing. The air show will take place February 3-7 at Air Force Station Yelahanka.As on November 20, 467 exhibitors have registered for the biannual airshow, including 48 foreign exhibitors from 17 countries.

Among foreign countries, France tops the list, followed by the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel. To date, 23 French companies have registered for the show, followed by six American companies and five each from the United Kingdom and Israel. Airbus SAS, Dassault Aviation, Rafale International, Safran and Thales are among the foreign exhibitors in France.

Also at the last edition of the show, French companies were at the top of the list of participants, with the Rafale, the FALCON 2000S and the helicopters of the Airbus team.

During the 2019 edition, the Rafale were the most sought after planes because they dominated the press area at the time. The opposition parties had alleged corruption in the intergovernmental Rafale agreement, signed between India and France, for the manufacture of 36 planes for the Indian Air Force.
In the Aero India 2019 edition, two Rafales, belonging to the French Air Force, were part of the flight demonstration while one was on static display. This time around, however, the Indian Air Force’s own Rafale, inducted a few months ago, are expected to enter and be a huge draw. Although the aircraft reservation space is online, the aircraft that will participate in the five-day airshow is still not made public. But in all likelihood, global aerospace companies are expected to bring their planes for flights, and the Indian Air Force is looking to procure more than 100 multipurpose fighter jets.

So far, six companies have responded to the IAF’s Request for Information (RFI) for 110 multipurpose fighter jets. Boeing (F / A-18 Super Hornet), SAAB Aviation (Gripen), Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin (F-21) and the Russian Mig-35, responded to the RFI. Approximately 92% of the space has been set aside for the air show to be held with the organizers in accordance with all Covid-19 protocols and with foreign participants expected to follow state government guidelines for international returnees in the State. Business or short-term travelers who come with a negative RT-PCR test report will be exempt from testing on arrival, the RT-PCR test would have been performed within 96 hours of travel.