Article Posted on : - Oct 18, 2022

NEW DELHI (PTI):  US defence major Boeing will feature its range of advanced defence capabilities at the DefExpo and highlight the company's commitment to India's focus on self-reliance in manufacturing of military platforms.

The 12th edition of DefExpo kick-started in Gujarat's Gandhinagar today.

Over 1,135 companies have registered for the event as of the last week of September.

Boeing India's theme at the DefExpo will be based on the theme "By India, For India '' and the company will highlight strategic investments it has made in the country's aerospace and defense ecosystem.

Boeing has already announced its plans to encourage defence manufacturing in India if it gets the contract to supply 26 deck-based aircraft for the Indian Navy.

The Navy has narrowed down on Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet and French aerospace major Dassault Aviation's Rafale M aircraft.

"Boeing will feature its range of advanced defence capabilities at DefExpo 2022 and highlight the company's commitment to India's Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision, having recently announced a potential economic impact of USD 3.6 billion over 10 years to the Indian economy with the F/A-18 Super Hornet as India's carrier-based fighter," the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The economic impact would be over and above Boeing's current offset obligations and plans in the country," it said.

Salil Gupte, president of Boeing India, said India's defence sector is poised for growth and offers significant opportunities for the company with its proven portfolio of products and services.

"India's defence sector is poised for growth and offers significant opportunities for Boeing with our proven portfolio of products and services, offering unmatched operational capabilities to India's defence forces across the entire mission spectrum and through their product lifecycle," he said.

He said Boeing is committed to supporting and enabling this progress with a vision to bring the best of Boeing to India and take the best of India to the world.

At DefExpo, Boeing will highlight existing defence programmes with the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force such as the C-17 transport planes, P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft, AH-64E Apache and CH-47F Chinook helicopters, and outline sustainment, training and performance-based logistics solutions for India's armed forces.

It will also showcase at the show the capabilities of the F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III and F-15EX.

"Boeing continues to partner closely with customers and local industry to support the defence modernisation of India's armed forces," said Alain Garcia, vice president, Boeing Defence, Space and Security in India.

"With our keen focus on sustaining, training, localization and partnerships, we are committed to support India's existing and future defence requirements. We look forward to being at DefExpo and advancing those discussions," the official said.

India currently operates 11 C-17s, 22 AH-64 Apaches (with six more on order), 15 CH-47 Chinooks, 12 P-8Is, three VVIP aircraft and two 'Head of State' aircraft, the Boeing said.