As the Aero India Air Show grows in size, SP Guide Publications is taking a ring-side view to give the industry relevant information and be part of the growth momentum

First, the good news—SP Guide Publications is the official media partner for the eighth edition of Aero India International Air Show 2011 being held in Bengaluru from February 9 to 13. As the show grows in size, SP Guide Publications is taking a ring-side view to give the industry relevant information and be part of the growth momentum.

Needless to mention, the global aerospace industry is inclined to gravitate to India attracted by the size of the aerospace market it has to offer over the coming decades. Capturing this essence is Air Marshal B.K. Pandey in the Aero India 2011 curtain-raiser. The global aerospace majors would be the major beneficiaries of this mammoth exercise entailing staggering levels of investment, while the $30 billion (Rs. 1,35,000 crore) worth of business generated in India for domestic entrepreneurs under “offsets” obligation would be of immense interest to the Indian aerospace industry, especially in the private sector.

To give the sector a further boost, Defence Minister A.K. Antony on January 7 revised the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP), liberalising it and expanding the scope for the private sector. In a recent conference on “Energising Indian Aerospace industry” the refrain was opening up of the sector for the private sector in a more aggressive manner.

India is indeed a force to reckon with, acknowledged by the many heads of state who visited in 2010. The year 2010 ended with the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev re-affirming Russia’s interest in the booming defence sector here.

The outlook for 2011 appears bright and it is strongly believed that Lockheed Martin’s Super Hercules C-130J would be inducted into the Indian Air Force ahead of schedule, heralding the re-introduction of the US built military transport aircraft into the IAF after a gap of five decades. It almost answers the concerns of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik that defence equipment which comes at substantial cost has to be made available at the right time. The Air Chief had remarked that substantial equipment in the IAF was obsolete and needed to be replaced.

And couple of decades down the line, the global air space is going to be dominated by weird looking planes which would be lot more operationally efficient and ultra-fast. Giving an insight into the engineers’ dream of “Concept Planes” is R. Chandrakanth. As such a number of major aircraft manufacturers are working in that direction—increasing fuel efficiency; reducing noise levels; and making it faster and efficient.

The next-generation aircraft are all demand-driven. In the regional jet category, the Brazilian aircraft company—Embraer has shown to the world how E-Jets make major difference in air travel, particularly connecting towns to metros and this is highlighted in this issue. The Middle East market is one to watch. The Middle East Business Aviation (MEBA) 2010 event held in Dubai recently forecast 10 to 15 per cent business aviation growth in the next decade and the show report has the details.

With the year having begun on a promising note, SP Guide Publications is bracing up for the Aero India show and beyond. We wish all our readers a rewarding year.