The UK government on Monday said its defence sector was deployed in force at Aero India, India’s premier air show being held in Bengaluru, with an ambition to not only "Make in India," but also "Create in India''.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 14th edition of Aero India at the Yelahanka Air Force station complex on the outskirts of Bengaluru on Monday.
The five-day exhibition is being participated by over 700 defence companies and delegates from 98 countries, officials said.
This edition of Aero India is showcasing the country as an emerging hub for manufacturing military aircraft, helicopters, military equipment and new-age avionics.
In a demonstration of the strong intent to accelerate collaboration with India across research, development and training, the British delegation is poised to take discussions forward on key offers that are being explored for collaboration, such as a strategic partnership for a jet engine development programme and maritime electric propulsion technology.
"Over the course of the week, the delegation will engage in a range of Indian stakeholders to reiterate the UK’s ambition to not only 'Make in India' but also to ‘Create in India’," a British High Commission statement said.
Led by Minister for Defence Procurement Alex Chalk, the UK team comprises representatives from government, military, and the defence industry.
“As we continue to build the UK-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, I’m hugely excited to attend Aero India – another key opportunity to demonstrate the UK’s commitment to developing strong bilateral relations and deliver on the 2030 Roadmap,” Chalk said.
“Recent collaborations on exercise with the Indian Navy, Army and Air Force underpin the strength of our two nations’ commitment to working together to promote a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific region,” he added.
The delegation travelled to Bengaluru following their participation at the UP Global Investors Summit, of which the UK was a country partner, to "unlock investment potential" in India’s northern defence corridor.
Alex Ellis, the British High Commissioner to India, said: “I heard today Prime Minister Modi’s vision to build India’s indigenous defence capabilities; the UK is the right partner to realise that ambition – through sharing knowledge, increasing interoperability, more training and exercising – and through increased industrial collaboration, including through design and make in India.
“The UK is committed to partner with India in its journey towards becoming atmanirbhar in its defence and security needs," Ellis said.
The UK team at Aero India 2023 includes Air Vice-Marshal Richard Maddison of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and British manufacturing giants such as Rolls Royce, BAE Systems, MBDA UK, Thales UK, Collins Aerospace and Leonardo.
It comes as the RAF said it looks forward to welcoming the Indian Air Force (IAF) to the UK for the Cobra Warrior exercise next month.
This will be the first time that the IAF will be participating in the multilateral air combat exercise, which will see the participation of air forces from 17 nations.
It will follow the RAF conducting a subject matter expertise exchange with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) during the visit of Eurofighter Typhoon, Voyager and A400 in New Delhi in September last year, which also involved some joint RAF-IAF flying exercises.
The British government said the UK-India Defence Industry Joint Working Group, which held its inaugural meeting at the Defence Expo in Gandhinagar last year, is helping accelerate collaboration between the countries, including through the integration of Indian defence suppliers by UK industry into their global supply chain.
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