Lucknow, Jan 29 (IANS): The stage is all set for the 11th edition of the biennial mega defence exhibition, DefExpo 2020, slated be held in Lucknow from February 5-9.
The theme this year is 'India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub'.
The aim of the event is to bring leading technologies in the defence sector under one roof and provide countless opportunities for the government, private manufactures and start-ups.
According to a government spokesman, the event will cover the entire spectrum of the country's aerospace, defence and security interests.
A record number of 989 exhibitors, including 165 foreign companies, have registered for the Expo so far.
In the previous edition of the DefExpo held in Chennai, 702 companies had participated.
Defence Ministers and Service Chiefs of 18 countries have confirmed their participation for the event and the number is expected to increase further.
The sub-theme of the exhibition is 'Digital Transformation of Defence' which aligns with the concept of the future battlefield.
Manufacturing for the aerospace and defence sector through application of newer technologies will also be focused upon.
In addition to exhibiting products and technologies and live demonstrations by the Services, Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and industry will showcase the land, naval, air and internal security systems.
The 'India Pavilion' will exclusively showcase the coordinated efforts of the public and private sector, including Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)/Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and innovation eco-system, which is the key to the way forward.
The Central government has set up Defence Industrial Corridor in Uttar Pradesh with identification of six nodes. A Defence Planning Committee has also been formed.
The Uttar Pradesh government has planned to build a defence manufacturing corridor along with the proposed Bundelkhand Expressway which will help in making India self-reliant in the field of defence production.
The DefExpo will play the role of a catalyst in attracting not only investments but also cutting-edge technologies to the region.
It is expected to see participation from over 70 countries and will be in line with the biggest of the international defence exhibitions.
For this exhibition, technology has been used as an enabler and for the first time, the DefExpo app has been released.
The app provides detailed information about the day-to-day events, participating exhibitors, guest speakers of seminars/webinars; publications, electronic brochures and e-books, maps and directions of the venues and city weather.