The recent Defexpo 2016 held in South Goa was a success if the number of participants and the kind of big global players who took part is taken as an indication.
More than 1,000 companies, from India and nearly 50 other countries, were there. Although the site was temporary, the Defence Exhibitions Organisation (DEO) did a good job, some minor glitches notwithstanding.
India is a huge market as the country needs critical equipment from aircraft to small guns, artillery guns, soldier protection gear, Electronic Warfare (EW) systems and a variety of precision guidance systems. Unmanned flying, land and underwater machines have assumed a new dimension due to the widespread terror and its sponsorship by some states. The US is deploying them in numbers, both to minimise risk to pilots as well as to deliver hits to required targets with precision and minimal collateral damage.
The Russians, Germans, Israelis, French, British and US companies were all there to show their capabilities. Deals are not generally done in exhibition arenas but defence shows like Defexpo and Aero India do offer opportunities to global players to show their wares under one roof.
Visitors to these shows are top politicians, three and four star military officers, and significantly, a large number from the junior lot who gain vital exposure to emerging defence technologies. There are also civilians, including students who might become scientists or officers.
Either way the knowledge gained from these shows should be useful in fathoming global trends in military technologies for today and tomorrow.
The interest the younger officers take in new technologies should help them in their formative years towards decisive military planning and execution. After all, war is about ensuring one’s technological and strategic superiority, whether an operation is in a small battlefield, a theatre or across the borders.
India decided to host military exhibitions around 1995. That year, the then Secretary Defence Production, Mr Vijay Kapur, visited IDEX’95 in Abu Dhabi and told this writer of his intention to follow up. In a very important development then, the Chief of Staff of the UAE armed forces, Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, visited the Indian pavilion, and followed it up with a visit to India. India’s emphasis then, as displayed at IDEX, was to export the Arjun Main Battle Tank, Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter, and even INSAS rifle.
Shaikh Mohammed, who recently visited India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is now the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces.
Defence shows are also big events. The presence of top dignitaries there invariably offers opportunities for forging personal friendships. These invariably get translated into institutional and possibly strategic equations, and good business relations.
I hope the event leads to some hard acquisitions for the Indian armed forces.
Gulshan Rai Luthra
