By introducing innovative Made in India defence items, India has surmounted yet another technological challenge in the global defence industry. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated DefExpo 2022, which showcased the prowess of the Indian defence industry and was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from October 19 to 22.

At this exhibition of Indian defence technology, a three-member official delegation from Sri Lanka, under the leadership of the State Minister of Defence, Premitha Bandara Tennakoon, also participated to gain first-hand knowledge of the rapidly growing Indian defence industry.

The other members were high-ranking officials from the Army and Navy. The exhibition came into being under the brand of India’s premier biennial global defence exhibition, DefExpo2022.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the defence expo, DefExpo 2022, at the Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar.

During the elaborate event, Prime Minister Modi launched Mission DefSpace and simultaneously laid the groundwork for the Deesa airfield. The prime minister also unveiled the HTT-40 indigenous trainer aircraft designed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

Prime Minister Modi, inaugurating the exhibition, said the defence expo was a sign of global trust in India. His remarks indicated that India will enter the humungous global defence market where only a few players derive the full benefit right now.

It paints a picture of the new India and its capabilities, declared Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also said that this was the first defence expo where only Indian companies were participating and it was a display of only Made in India equipment.

There were more than 1,300 exhibitors, including India’s defence industry, joint ventures associated with the Indian Defence Industry, MSMEs, and more than 100 start-ups. Prime Minister Modi added that more than 400 MoUs were signed at the expo, making India a significant partner in the defence industry.

The expo is being attended by 53 African nations. The second India-Africa Defence Dialogue and the second Indian Ocean Region+ (IOR+) Conclave The Indian Ocean Region conclave will provide a stage to promote defence cooperation between these nations and foster peace, growth, stability and prosperity.

PM Modi also recognized Gujarat’s identity in terms of development and industrial capabilities. He said that the state would emerge as a key centre for the defence equipment industry in time to come.

While laying the foundation for the Deesa airfield, Prime Minister Modi stated that the air force base would contribute to the country’s security architecture and landscape.

As Deesa is close to the border, Prime Minister Modi said that India would be in a better position to respond to any misadventure on the western borders. “This region will now become an effective centre of security for the country,” he said.

He said the Deesa air base, which is a mere 130 kilometres from the Indo-Pak border, will be able to give a better response to any threat coming from the western side.

Deesa is a small city with 110,000 residents located in northern Gujarat, India. The city enjoys a picturesque location on the shores of the Banas River, with excellent fertile soils and plenty of water. Therefore, Deesa is a centre of agriculture and commerce, famous for its large potato fields and even some scientific establishments researching potatoes and their cultivation techniques.

Speaking about the defence sector, Prime Minister Modi said that India is moving ahead with the mantra of “three I’s”: intent, innovation, and implementation.

He said India was the largest importer of defence equipment eight years ago, but things have changed now. Defence exports have grown eight times in the last five years.

“We export defence materials and equipment to more than 75 countries around the world. In 2021-22, defence exports from India reached $1.59 billion, i.e., about Rs 13,000 crore. And as of now, we have set a target to reach $5 billion, or so, “he added.

Highlighting India’s increasing self-reliance, the prime minister said that the defence forces had finalised two lists of equipment that would be procured only within the country. These lists consist of 101 items.

“India sees the defence sector as an infinite sky of opportunities, as positive possibilities,” said PM Modi.

The Prime Minister also said India is building defence corridors in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. He added that MSMEs would support huge multinational corporations making investments in India, building a vast network of supply chains in support of these investments.

“Investments of such scale in this sector will generate huge employment opportunities for the youth in those areas which were not even thought of earlier,” the Prime Minister added, calling upon companies present at the expo to give shape to these opportunities.

Besides Prime Minister Modi, those in attendance included Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, Union Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, and Defence Secretary to the Government of India Dr Ajay Kumar.

A three-member official delegation from Sri Lanka, led by State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon and comprising Army and Navy officers, was on a visit to India to attend India’s premier biennial global defence exhibition, DefExpo2022. This was the second time in the last year that a minister from Sri Lanka attended an event inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi. Ministers from Sri Lanka were a part of the inaugural international flight to Kushinagar airport in October 2021.

Speaking at DefExpo2022, State Minister Premitha Bandara Tennakoon hailed the partnership between India and Sri Lanka in the defence sphere. He highlighted the importance of the defence industrial base in augmenting security policy. He noted that DefExpo 2022 provided a significant avenue for a deeper understanding of the nature of transformation in modern warfare across five dimensions.

DefExpo2022 is the biggest defence exhibition, which showcases the growing prowess of India’s defence industry to achieve the vision of ‘Made in India, Made for the World’ as well as self-reliance in the defence domain. Live demonstrations showcasing the equipment and skill sets of the Armed Forces, Defence Public Sector Units and industry were also organized.

The Sri Lankan Deputy Defence Minister met the Minister of State for Defence and Tourism of India, Shri Ajay Bhatt, on October 17, 2022, on the sidelines of DefExpo2022. During the meeting, India’s readiness to continue to support Sri Lanka in the defence sphere was reiterated. The Sri Lankan delegation also had cordial interactions with the Defence Minister, Defence Secretary, Chief of Defence Staff and all three Service Chiefs of India during the visit.

Bilateral engagement in defence is multi-dimensional. High-level exchanges continued both ways despite the challenges posed by COVID-19. SLINEX (Naval Exercise) and Exercise MITRA SHAKTI (Army Exercise) are held every year alternatively in India and Sri Lanka. Both Armed Forces collaborate closely in dealing with common security challenges such as drug and human trafficking. The Colombo Security Conclave has emerged as a key security platform in recent times to address such issues at a regional level. The first ever Dornier maritime reconnaissance aircraft from India to enhance the maritime surveillance capabilities of Sri Lanka was inducted into the Sri Lanka Air Force Fleet on August 15th, 2022, in the presence of President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Experience sharing and capacity building have been key pillars of India-Sri Lanka defence cooperation, which is marked by warm camaraderie and mutual benefit in enhancing our shared security. Indian military establishments including NDC have been the preferred choice of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces for decades and have produced leaders of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. Annually, 1500–1700 slots are allocated to Sri Lankan trainees, which amounts to around INR 500–550 million (more than USD 6 million). Similarly, Indian Armed Forces officers are also hosted by the friendly Armed Forces of Sri Lanka, including specialized training modules in various fields such as counter-insurgency.

Both sides also cooperate on humanitarian aspects such as averting large-scale environmental damage, expeditious supply of Liquid Medical Oxygen and other assistance materials, repatriation of around 700 Indian nationals back to their motherland with the assistance of Sri Lanka Armed Forces during COVID-19 etc.

The futuristic partnership between the two neighbours underscores India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy as well as the Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) doctrine. India will continue to strengthen its multi-dimensional cooperation with Sri Lanka for mutual benefit and also to enhance regional peace, security and stability.