New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Bharat Drone Shakti 2023, a two-day drone exhibition and display event jointly organised by the IAF and the Drone Federation of India (DFI) featuring over 75 drone start-ups from across the country on September 25. The event is being held at Hindon Air Force Station.

The Defence Ministry in a statement said that the drones featured during the event can be employed for a variety of military and civil applications, “By showcasing their capabilities through a series of aerial and static demonstrations, the IAF and DFI seek to bolster the Government’s initiative to make India a major drone hub by 2030,” the defence ministry added.

The IAF on social media described the drone fest as “the latest in drone technology, from agriculture to delivery systems, all under one roof”. According to Drone Federation of India officials, around 75 drones are on static display and over 50 will be displayed aerially during the course of the show.

During the event, the Defence Minister and other attending dignitaries were also briefed on the latest in-house innovations of the IAF at an exhibition featuring projects such as a hybrid drone detection system, an Artificial Intelligence (Al) engine for fault diagnosis, a fly-by-wire tester, stabilised power supply trolleys, a QR code-based tool crib management system, and also modern teaching aids, the statement added.