Aero India begins under Pulwama, Rafale shadow

Under the collective shadow of the Pulwama terror attack, the simmering Rafale controversy and the fatal Mirage 2000 crash, the 12th edition of Aero India took off here on Wednesday with a decisively political and strategic edge.

Despite its low-key presence in the previous airshows, the Rafale will dominate the narrative at the show venue, the Yelahanka Air Force Station here. The aircraft deal, which has kicked up a much political storm, is expected to find its echo right from the airshow’s formal launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Made for India version of the aircraft will not be seen. But its French maker, Dassault Aviation has flown in three jets, two geared up for flight displays on all five show days.

Confused buildup

Since 1996, all the previous 11 Aero India shows have dazzled massive crowds from across India and the world. But a huge cloud of uncertainty had emerged months before the 12th edition was finalised with Bengaluru once again playing host.

A former Defence Minister was keen to shift the show to Goa. But even before Bengaluru’s aviation buffs and aerospace industry could digest this, came another speculation: The largest aerospace exposition this part of the world will finally shift base to Lucknow.

Signals from the Uttar Pradesh government pitching for the Lucknow venue, and certain statements from Union Ministers added a sense of conviction. Eventually, Bengaluru’s proven expertise and infrastructure for hosting such a grand event proved too strong for any change in the status quo.

Brand suffers

However, the confusion spanning months did damage the Aero India brand. In competition for the Indian Air Force (IAF) requirement for 110 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), Swedish fighter jet Gripen decided to skip the air show this time.

Gripen’s maker, SAAB reportedly booked the aircraft for other tasks as the Defence Ministry did not finalise the Aero India 2019 schedule and venue well before their deadline. Defence ministry sources say the confusion also played spoilsport with the participation of many other aircraft that had regaled aviation buffs in the earlier shows.

Security net

Security has always remained an area that deserved much attention at the Yelahanka Air Base. But the recent Pulwama attack has added a whole new dimension to the arrangements at the venue, where an estimated 5.5 lakh visitors are expected to converge.

On high alert is the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), having placed additional personnel to man all key areas within the Air Force station premises. The Air Force police, Garud Commandos and other quick reaction teams have already finalised a security cover all around the airshow venue.

To spot any suspicious movement, the network of CCTVs positioned inside and outside of the AF station has been doubled in numbers as compared to the 2017 edition. The perimeter security has also been beefed up.

Indigenous showcase

For State-owned aviation major, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the Mirage 2000 crash at the HAL Airport that killed two pilots was a devastating blow. Upgraded by HAL, the aircraft was on an acceptance sortie.

Despite the company’s test pilots certifying that the aircraft was safe as proven by six in-house test sorties, HAL’s image took a severe beating. Mounting criticism on social media criticising its abilities to produce quality aircraft only got worse when a retired air chief joined the bandwagon.

As the event manager of Aero India’s 12the edition, HAL has now opted to hit back at its detractors, showcasing the full range of its capabilities.

Desi range

Lined up for the show this time are its indigenous products, the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, HTT-40 (Basic Trainer Aircraft), the first indigenously upgraded Hawk Mk132, named as Hawk-i, and the Civil Dornier-228.

Beyond the Advanced Light Helicopter (Rudra), Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), and the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), HAL will fly both its fixed and rotary wing aerobatic teams, Suryakiran (Hawk aircraft) and Sarang (ALH-Dhruv). These two have been the mainstay of all the recent airshows, beckoning crowds from all over.

But what should stand out from HAL’s future perspective is this: Its Supersonic Omni Role Trainer Aircraft (SPORT) simulator, positioned at its pavilion. HAL has proposed to launch the indigenous development of SPORT (Aircraft) with 4++ generation or equivalent capabilities to bridge the gap in pilot training to command front line fighters.

The plan is this: To utilise the SPORT aircraft for fighter training after the Advanced Jet Training stage and before induction of pilots into a frontline fighter squadron. This could potentially compensate the negativity surrounding the virtual closure of HAL’s Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) project.

Global biggies

Besides the French, international presence at Aero India 2019 will be focussed on the big American aerospace firms, the Russians with their multi-platform offerings and the Israelis with their cutting edge avionics.

Boeing, with its F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft, KC-46A Pegasus tanker, AH-64E Apache helicopter, CH-47F Chinook helicopter, and the P-8 aircraft, takes a defence first approach. But it also has a strong thrust on civil aviation. On display at the show will be the commercial plane models, the 737 MAX, 777X and the 787 Dreamliner.

Additional exhibition halls might give this edition of the airshow a feel that the brand has grown. But without the aircraft biggies competing for the MMRCA deal and a scaled down aerobatic team turnout, can Aero India 2019 match the highs of the last two editions?

For the records

Here’s one sobering piece of statistics: For the last edition, only 549 companies had turned up, a step down from the 650 recorded for Aero India 2015.

HAL had a reason for the low turnout: The Centre had already announced purchase decisions based on government-to-government deals, and the emphasis on ‘Make in India.’ Cost-cutting by European aerospace firms was another factor. The same factors could resonate this time too.

In sheer footfalls, the 2019 edition might just create a new record. But in terms of aerobatic displays, exhibitor numbers, and wholesome excitement, Aero India 2015 remains the show to beat.

With five foreign and Indian aerobatic team displays, a 30% rise in aircraft numbers and a slew of business deals, that edition had shattered all records by a mile.