The 13th edition of Aero India officially commenced today, with defense minister Rajnath Singh inaugurating the event, which will be a first of its kind in the wake of COVID-19. This year, there will be no public show keeping in mind social distancing restrictions, and Aero India 2021 is designed as a hybrid event, with live video streaming of key sessions every day.

After the inaugural ceremony, a flying display took place, showcasing India’s premier aircraft technology

From the 3rd to the 5th of February, our team will be present at booth no. A6.6 & A6.8 meeting with customers, dignitaries, and industry luminaries from around the world.

Our theme for this year is “Digitalization to Realize a Thriving Aerospace, Defense, and Space Ecosystem,” leveraging technology to accelerate concept to operations.

Speaking from the event, Deepak NG, Managing Director, India, Dassault Systèmes, commented “After almost a year of facing unprecedented disruptions with grit and resilience, the Aerospace and Defense industry will also look at lessons learned in 2020 and aim to get back on track in 2021. This will mandate OEMs and suppliers to accelerate innovation, drive efficiencies and move to the factory of the future to achieve greater agility and efficiency.”

“At Aero India 2021, our experts will discuss with industry players and suppliers how to bridge the gap between the virtual and real-world to accelerate concept to operations by 50% through Industry Solution Experiences (ISE) based on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform,” he added.

Industry Solution Experiences to Leapfrog into Tomorrow

We were delighted to be part of bringing insights from over three decades of experience in this segment. It is poised to be a crucial year for India’s aerospace and defense sector, with the Air Force receiving a 19% hike as per the recent 2021 budget. Tax incentives, airport modernization projects, and a push towards private investments are expected to add further tailwinds for aerospace and defense. Organizations can capitalize on this bullish environment by leveraging digitalization to achieve:

• Program convergence and real-time visibility across departments and sites
• Increased efficiency through a digitally-enabled product strategy
• Lean manufacturing and faster project ramp-up
• Real-time views of plant status for agile production

All of this is being demonstrated to attendees at Aero India 2021 through the Dassault Systèmes industry solution experiences, Co-design to Target, Program Excellence, Ready for Rate, and Build to Operate, along with the Engineered to Fly industry solution experience at the virtual workshop.

Interactions With Esteemed Customers, Dignitaries and Industry Leaders

Rajnath Singh, Honourable Minister of Defense, Government of India inaugurates our booth

The Dassault Systèmes Booth was inaugurated by Rajnath Singh, Honourable Minister of Defense, Government of India, at the beginning of Day 1.

Across the day, we also had the privilege of hosting Bookanakere Siddalingappa Yeddyurappa, Honourable Chief Minister of Karnataka, who visited our booth to discuss our progress made in the Center of Excellence for Aerospace and Defense, in Bengaluru, established with the objective of skills development and providing trained manpower for India’s aerospace hubs.

 

Bookanakere Siddalingappa Yeddyurappa, Honourable Chief Minister of Karnataka, at the booth

Several of our experts including Ravikiran POTHUKUCHI, Sales Director, Aerospace and Defense, Marine and Offshore, Dassault Systèmes, Javeed HERIAL, Industry Process Consultant, Director, CATIA, Dassault Systèmes, Umashankar G, Industry Process Technical Executive, Aerospace and Defense, Dassault Systèmes, and Anant SADARJOSHI, Industry Process Consultant Manager, Aerospace and Defense, Dassault Systèmes® were present to share key updates and insights with visitors.

H.E. Emmanuel Lenain, French Ambassador visited our booth for a brief interaction with the Dassault Systèmes team. Our experts demonstrated how the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform could introduce innovation and improve operational efficiency in the aerospace and defense value chain.

H.E. Emmanuel Lenain, French Ambassador, visited our booth

The team from CSIR National Aerospace Laboratories visited our booth and met with one of our experts – Umashankar G, Solution Consultant – Dassault Systèmes  – to explore how complex systems in aerospace and defense can be better managed to achieve simplified and streamlined process views. Also across the day, we were delighted to meet with the KPMG team, for a hands-on demonstration of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform’s capabilities in enabling collaboration across the entire industry ecosystem. Representatives from leading organizations such as the Aeronautical Development Agency and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, as well as representatives from DRDO, Government of Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, visited us across the day.

Also present was the team from Bharat Earth Movers Limited; they met with Dassault Systèmes experts to explore pathways towards manufacturing excellence and on-time delivery.

The CSIR National Aerospace Laboratories team at our booth

 

The KPMG team at our booth

Bharat Earth Movers Limited Team meeting our experts

Throughout the day, we held several one-on-one meetings with customers to address their most pressing challenges and emerging opportunities through personalized advice and recommendations.

One-on-one meetings with our customers

Outlining the Future Roadmap for the Sector

One of the major highlights on day one of Aero India 2021 was the conference on Defense Industrial Corridors,  identifying important opportunities for strategic technology interventions in defense manufacturing in the country.

 Deepak NG, Managing Director, India, Dassault Systèmes, shared the stage with leading industry stakeholders across private and public sectors such as Lockheed Martin,  Airbus India, Honeywell India, and Government of Uttar Pradesh – for a vibrant dialogue on how Dassault Systèmes is paving the way towards stronger infrastructure, collaborative knowledge sharing, and cost-efficient operations that are the key pillars of digitalization in the aerospace and defense sector.

Deepak NG, Managing Director, India, Dassault Systèmes speaking at the Day 1 conference

After another concluding flying display, Day 1 of Aero India 2021 came to a close, ending with a dinner hosted by the honorable Defense Minister of India.

We return again tomorrow with the highlights from day 2 of the event, and our virtual workshop is scheduled for tomorrow, so please register if you cannot attend in person. Over the next two days, we will also unveil a special Virtual Reality (VR) demonstration of the Kaveri engine at the Dassault Systèmes booth, offering customers an immersive deep-dive into the true potential of technology.

VR demonstration of the Kaveri engine

We look forward to another day of deep insights and meaningful collaboration tomorrow.