DefExpo 2020 begins Wednesday
MoD: 'Biggest ever DefExpo to be held in India'

The 11th edition of India’s biennial defence and security exhibition is set to begin on Wednesday. After taking the event out of New Delhi in 2016 to then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s home state of Goa, and then moving to the Chennai in the south in 2018, this time DefExpo is being held at Lucknow, current Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s consituency in Parliament.

The defence ministry is calling it the ‘biggest ever DefExpo to be held in India’ with 1,028 participating companies. The ministry also says the number of foreign companies at the event has increased from 160 the last time to 172 and the booked exhibition space has almost doubled from the Chennai edition.

The inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday afternoon will be webcast live on social media.

“Defence Ministers and Service Chiefs of 38 countries have confirmed their participation for the DefExpo 2020,” said the ministry in a statement.

The five-day event includes seminars with US, French, Korean, Israeli and Russian defence industry and an African Defence Ministers Conclave, with 15 ministers attending.

Live demonstrations will be presented by Sukhoi 30MKI, Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Jaguar, Hawk and Kiran fixed-wing aicraft, CH-47 Chinook, Mi-17V5 and Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and Chetak helicopters. T-90, T-72 and BMPs armour will also conduct demonstrations at the show.

Lucknow will also see ‘Night illumination of anchored Navy and vessels which will be a visual delight from the Gomati riverfront’, says the ministry and entry will be free for the public on the last two days of the show, with an Instagram photography contest with cash prizes of INR 100,000, INR 75,000 and INR 50,000.

There’s also a DefExpo 2020 app for iOS and Android.