Kochi, July 11, 2018: A three-day Aviation Innovation Exposition cum Work Shop was inaugurated by Vice Admiral AR Karve, PVSM, AVSM, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief (FOC-in-C), Southern Naval Command (SNC) on July 11, 2018 at naval base, Kochi. The Expo named “INNOEX-18”, held under the aegis of Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI) and Society of Indian Aerospace Technologies and Industries (SIATI) was conducted by Naval Aircraft Yard, Kochi, and would continue till July 13, 2018.
On the first day of the workshop, which preceded the expo inauguration, renowned aerospace professionals and academicians, including Dr CG Krishnadas Nair, Padmashri, President SIATI, Dr RK Tyagi, President AeSI, Dr Tessy Thomas, DG (Aero) of DRDO, and Prof SS Mantha, from National Institute of Advance Studies (NIAS) shared their experiences with the young aeronautical professionals of SNC. Speaking on the occasion, Vice Admiral Karve, while welcoming the delegates, informed all the existing and potential industry partners about the expected growth of the naval aircraft fleet from 150 to 450 in the near future and the huge opportunity it provides to the industry particularly the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). He expressed hope that the opportunity provided by the expo would help the naval aviation and the industry to understand each other better so as to move towards a more capable indigenous aviation industrial ecosystem.
The Exposition, which included about 20 stalls from 18 firms was able to bring together seven major indigenous aviation stakeholders, viz., the Indian Air Force, ISRO, Aero Cluster Labs of DRDO, Air India, Pawan Hans Limited, as well as members of the academia and industry. An arrangement was also made for MSME to interact and showcase their product line and capabilities to the end users. The aim was for all the stakeholders to pool in their collective resources and expertise for co-operative production. The Exposition also displayed actual obsolete items and systems for Captains of MSMEs to identify indigenous substitutes, promote indigenisation and provide product support.
Additionaly, A host of senior officers from Indian Armed Forces and Accounts Services present during the work shop provided valuable inputs on indigenisation across all spectrums. The distinguished speakers for the next two days of workshop include Shri S Somnath, Director Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Shri Senthil Kumar, Regional Director, Regional Directorate of Apprentice Training (RDAT) and Shri Ananth Agasthya, an industry guru.
This is the second edition of Innovation Expo by the Naval Aircraft Yard, Kochi.
