The primary objective behind the biennial defence exhibition was to catapult India from a die-hard consumer to exporter of arms. The strategy behind it was to showcase India’s technological capabilities, modernise the Indian armed forces, encourage the domestic private sector arms manufacturing, and boost the export of arms to the third world countries in association with international defence manufacturers.
The Def Expo conceived twenty four years ago by the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in 1998.
The Def Expo has since then developed into one of the most reputed and internationally recognised defence exhibitions in the world. The Expo continued to be held in New Delhi till 2016, when Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar took it to his home state Goa. This precedent was followed by his successor Nirmala Sitharaman who took it to her birthplace Tamil Nadu, while the current Defence Minister Rajnath Singh shifted the venue to Lucknow in February 2020.
1st Defexpo India – New Delhi, 12 to 16 October 1999
The first edition of Defexpo was held in Delhi in October 1999 soon after the Kargil war (3 May 1999 – 26 Jul 1999) and Pokhran II nuclear explosions in May 1998.
About 197 exhibitors from 28 countries including private sector giants like Lockheed Martin, British Aerospace, AgustaWestland, Elbit Systems Ltd, Thomson CSF, Sofma and Marconi Electronics participated in the event to explore opportunities for joint ventures, technology transfer and co-production for export to nearby markets. Over 40 Russian companies and 23 South African companies participated in the Defexpo. One of the attractions of the expo was a seminar titled ‘Force multiplier technologies for naval and land warfare’.
2nd Defexpo India – New Delhi, 19 to 23 February 2002
More than 300 exhibitors from around the globe displayed their armoured vehicles, rockets, mortars, ships, submarines, rocket launchers, communication systems, guided weapon systems, laser-based devices, recovery vehicles, and training simulators at the five-day-long Defexpo at Pragati Maidan in Delhi. Some of the companies also displayed their aircraft and helicopters for military and civil applications.
The participants included 140 companies from 20 countries, including the USA, Russia, Ukraine, UK, France, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, the Czech Republic, Belarus, Bulgaria, South Africa, Israel, Poland, Hungary, Sweden, Turkey, Iran, Oman, and the Philippines. The Indian defence industry was represented by 39 ordnance factories and 160 private industries.
3rd Defexpo India – New Delhi, 4- 7 February 2004
More than 300 companies from 21 countries including the USA, Britain, Israel, Poland, Italy, Ukraine, South Africa, Serbia, France, Brazil, Germany and India participated in the four-day long Weapons Exhibition. The maximum participation was from the UK followed by Israel which was represented by 10 big companies including IAI and Elbit.
The centres of attention at the 3rd Defexpo included Brahmos – touted to be the fastest supersonic cruise missile in the world, as well as Kornet-E and Konkurs-M anti-tank missiles made in Russia; Israeli SPIKE MR/LR- Israeli fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile/ anti-personnel missile and Javelin portable anti-tank missile system made in America.
The other weapon systems displayed at the Defexpo included Exocet MM40 Block 3 anti-ship missile, Black Shark –long-range torpedo, SPYDER (“Surface-to-air Python and Derby”) integrated short and medium-range mobile air defence system developed by Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). Raytheon’s SLAMRAAM anti-aircraft missile system (SAM), as well as Russian Buk – self-propelled, surface-to-air missile systems, and Hermes family of guided missiles in particular impressed the participants and visitors.
4th Defexpo India –New Delhi, 31 January to 3 February 2006
The 4th edition of Defexpo attracted over 410 companies from 30 countries, 42 high-level overseas delegations and more than 5,000 business visitors per day.
The products on display included a simulator for the gunner of the anti-tank missile system “Konkurs” and ICV BMP-2 motion gunnery simulator. Both Boeing and Lockheed Martin – were seen to be trying their level best to bag the lucrative $6.5-billion contract to supply 126 multi-role combat aircraft to the Indian Air force. Not to be left behind, Russia, Israel, France and UK too wanted a share in the Indian defence market.
5th Defexpo India –New Delhi, 16th – 19th February 2008
More than 475 military and technical companies from 30 countries, as well as 47 official delegations including six ministerial delegations from Afghanistan, Belarus, Ghana, Mozambique, Namibia and Nigeria and over 40,000 business visitors, participated in Defexpo India 2008. The participants included Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the Netherlands, UAE, UK, and Ukraine.
The United States contributed the maximum – 46 exhibitors while France ranked second with 43 exhibitors. Not to lose out in the race the Russian prime minister was on an official visit to India from February 11 to 13 while the Russian Ambassador to India attended the opening ceremony where he was quoted as saying that the exhibition provided a unique possibility for Russia to broaden its military and technical cooperation with India. Russia’s state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport showcased its advanced Kalashnikov AK-101, AK-102 (5.56 mm), AK-103 and AK-104 (7.62 mm) assault rifles, the AN-94 Abakan machine-gun, Bizon-20-1 (9 mm) pistol, OSV-96 sniper rifle, and night vision devices.
Ashok Leyland, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors and Tatra announced their plans to supply armoured vehicles, mine sweepers, troop carriers, aerospace products and marine weapon systems to the Indian defence forces and explore possibilities for exporting these products to other countries. As many as 20 MoUs were signed and 3,490 business queries were generated.
6th Defexpo India – Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, 15th – 18th February 2010
The sixth edition of the Defexpo India 2010 witnessed the widest display of defence products and over 650 companies including 300 from 35 other countries showcased their products. The Defence Ministers from the UK, Bulgaria, Hungary, Nigeria, Turkey, Uganda, and Senegal attended the deliberations while the Army Chief from Mongolia and Naval Chiefs from Kazakhstan, Mozambique, Brunei, Qatar and Senegal participated in the exhibition. The exhibition area doubled from 17200 sq meters in 2008 to 30100 sq meters in 2010.
The star attractions of the expo included DRDO’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Netra autonomous UAV as well as BrahMos, Akash, and Nag missiles, Canon Launched Guided Missile, PINAKA Launcher, DAKSH-ROVs, Rohini Radar, Data Center Vehicle, Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), Modern Sub Machine Carbine (MSMC), Light Wt Launcher, Sarvatra, BLT-T 72, BLT Arjun, AFBBS, AERV, MBT-Arjun, 155 mm SP Gun, CI-Ajeya, TAL, Varunastra, Thermal torpedo, 100 W-Fuel cells, HUMSA, Sanjeevani, Micro-UAV, LCA-Navy, and Kaveri Marine systems.
Israel – accounted for the biggest participation in terms of space occupied (1248 sq meters) while the United States was represented by a maximum number of 25 companies.
The expo led to a MoU between AgustaWestland and Tata Sons for the production of AW-119 helicopter in Hyderabad, another MoU between SAAB and Samtel to develop, manufacture and market RIGS Head-Up Displays (RIGS HUD), and a tie-up between Sikorsky and Tatas to manufacture 36 airframes for the S-92VVIP helicopter also in Hyderabad.
7th Defexpo India – Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, 29 March – 1 April 2012
Almost 600 exhibitors, including 232 foreign exhibitors from 32 countries displayed their Anti-Aircraft Guns, Propulsion Systems, Communication Systems, Robotics, Decoy Systems, Rocket Launcher Systems, Diesel Engines, Satellites & Space Technologies, Environment Control Systems, EW/ECCM Systems, Explosives and Detection Systems, Ammunition, Fire Control Systems, Howitzers, Submarines, Tanks, Missile Systems and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
The list of participants included Boeing, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Navistar Defence, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Harris, Honeywell, Pillsbury, Winthrop, PwC, Raytheon, Rockwell Collins, and Sikorsky.
Boeing showcased a comprehensive portfolio of products and services including the C-17 Globemaster III, P-8I, AH-64D Apache, CH-47F Chinook, V-22 Osprey, ScanEagle and 737 Airborne Early Warning & Control. The products on display included Missile Interceptor Simulator, a 3D-virtual reality theatre, an unmanned tracked ground vehicle, a remotely operated vehicle, Nishant, Rustom and Netra UAVs, and a lightweight sensor-integrated composite bridge. The radar and electronic warfare systems category included long-range solid state electronically scanned active phased array radar lstar, Disha EW system and Scorpio jammer. Some of the other major attractions besides this included Varunastra, Pinaka multi-barrel rocket system, Prahar tactical range ballistic missile system as well as missiles and electronic systems like Nag, Akash, BrahMos, Aerostat, AEW&C System, and BMP Survival Kit (BUSK).
Tata Motors showcased a new Micro Bullet-Proof Vehicle (MBPV) a first-of-its-kind mobile combat vehicle for indoor combat inside airports, railway stations and other such infrastructure while Maini Group launched the Tomcar ATVs (All-Terrain Vehicle) at DefExpo 2012.
One of the achievements of the 7th DefExpo was an agreement between Mahindra and Telephonics Corporation, USA to manufacture airborne radar systems in Bangalore.
8th Defexpo India –New Delhi, 06 – 09 February 2014
Over 624 companies from 30 countries displayed their weapon systems at the four-day long DefExpo billed as the largest-ever Defence Exposition in Asia. Major participants included Russia, France, Israel, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa, Turkey, UAE, Ukraine, UK and USA. The event saw 12 country pavilions from France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Norway, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, UK and USA.
9th Defexpo India – Naqueri Quitol in Quepem Taluka of South Goa, 28 – 31 March, 2016
The first of its kind Defexpo India outside Delhi in South Goa the home state of the then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar saw 232 foreign companies from 47 countries including France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Russia, South Korea and the UK participating in the show. The US-based companies with 93 participants were the largest contingent followed by71 participants from Russia.
The inaugural ceremony saw live demonstrations of military equipment like Main Battle Tank Arjun Mk I and II, Wheeled Armoured Vehicle, 155mm/45-cal Dhanush Howitzer, as well as artillery guns made by Bharat Forge and Naval LCA. It was the first time that MBT Arjun Mk II and Wheeled Armoured Vehicle were displayed in any exhibition.
10th Defexpo India – Kancheepuram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 11-14 April, 2018
DefExpo 2018 for the first time tried to project India’s Defence manufacturing capabilities to the world. This was reflected in its tagline ‘India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub’. Hence the primary focus of DefExpo 2018 was to project India as a reliable exporter of defence systems and components. To give shape to this effort, all the 44-odd defence attaches posted in Indian missions abroad were asked to attend the exhibition and familiarise themselves with India’s defence manufacturing potential. This was believed to enable them to promote Indian defence exports once they got back to their missions.
This was the first time that DefExpo had set up an India Pavilion to project its capabilities in defence manufacturing. The DefExpo 2018 was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
About 702 exhibitors including 542 Indian exhibitors and 160 international exhibitors participated in the event. Major international companies included Lockheed Martin, Boeing (USA), Saab (Sweden), Airbus, Rafael (France), Rosonboron Exports, United Shipbuilding (Russia), BAE Systems (UK), Sibat (Israel), Wartsila (Finland), Rhode and Schwarz (Germany). Likewise, the Indian participants included Tata, L&T, Kalyani, Bharat Forge, Ashok Leyland, Mahindra, MKU Ltd., Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., Bharat Electronics Ltd., Bharat Dynamics Ltd., and Bharat Earth Movers Ltd.
The weapons and platforms displayed in DefExpo 2018 included the Tejas fighter jets, advanced towed artillery gun systems, Arjun Mark 2 tank and Dhanush artillery guns. The DRDO exhibited the Nirbhay missile system, autonomous unmanned ground vehicle, Astra missile, low-level transportable radar system, medium power radar system and Varunastra — heavy-weight anti-submarine electric torpedo. More than 100 made-in-India products like Aakash Missile Systems, Brahmos, ATAG, and Wheeled APC, were showcased in the exhibition.
As part of the expo, four indigenously built naval warships docked at the Chennai port for public viewing. More than 26,000 citizens, including schoolchildren, visited the warships.
In all over 3.5 lakh people visited DefExpo 2018 spread out over an area of 2,25,000 sq. ft. Indian exhibitors occupied 72% of the total exhibition area.
11th Defexpo India – Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 5-8 February 2020
The 11th edition of DefExpo – a mega defence exhibition focused on ‘Digital Transformation of Defence’.
Over 1028 companies including 172 foreign defence manufacturers and defence ministers of 38 countries participated in the Defence Expo 2020 in Lucknow.
In the sidelines of the event, the fifth India-Russia Military Industry Conference was held to address issues related to life-cycle support and maintenance of Russian-origin equipment/ platforms such as SU-30 MKI aircraft, Mi-17 Helicopters, MiG-29K aircraft, INS Vikramaditya and T-90 tanks.
A substantial number of Memoranda of Undertaking (MoUs) were inked during the Expo. For instance, India and Russia signed 14 MoUs for the production of military equipment such as rocket launchers and radar systems. These included a technology development contract between HEMRL, Pune and Rosoboronexport, Russia for the development of Advanced Pyrotechnic Ignition Systems. This will meet the futuristic requirements of high-performance propulsion systems– the power behind rockets and missiles.
For the first time during the DefExpo, hosted an Indo-African conclave to strengthen relations with African countries which are potentially export hubs for Indian defence manufacturers.
12th Defexpo India – Gandhinagar, Gujarat, 18-22 October 2022
The 12th DefExpo exhibition being held for the first time in Gandhinagar, Gujarat promises to be the biggest of all events with 900 exhibitors including 100 from 70 countries and companies across the world. The DefExpo 2022 will be organised over an exhibition space of 1 lakh sq meters.
It is in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to achieve self-reliance in defence and achieve export of $5 billion by 2025.
One of the highlights of the exhibition will be a 1,000-drone display orchestrated by Botlab Dynamics, a start-up supported by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and the department of science and technology (DST). This will be the second time such a show is being organised in the country. It was first organised at the Beating Retreat in Delhi on January 29. Only the US, Russia and China have the capability to put together a 1,000-drone show.
Indian Navy will also showcase some of its capabilities in front of the audience at the Sabarmati riverfront.
As usual, the US has booked the largest pavilion while Adani and Tata groups from India will have the largest stalls.
–The writer is a seasoned media professional with over three decades of experience in print, electronic, and web media. He is presently Editor of Taazakhabar News. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda