Aviation industry majors, start-ups to showcase a wide range of products, tech at defence expo 'IDAX-24'

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Thursday, inaugurated India Defence Aviation Exposition (IDAX-24), being held on the sidelines of exercise Tarang Shakti-24, one of the largest multinational air exercises being conducted by the Indian Air Force (IAF), in Jodhpur.

"A while back, India was seen as an arm importer country but now we export to over 90 countries. India has become self-reliant to a great extent in field of sensors, radars, electronic warfare," Singh said during a press conference after the inauguration.

The expo will see participation from aviation industry behemoths, including DPSUs, DRDO, private players, and major startups, displaying a wide range of products, and technologies.

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"IDAX aims to showcase indigenous skills and indomitable spirit of Indian aviation industries to a wide spectrum of decision-makers and end users from global air forces participating in Tarang Shakti 2024," the defence ministry said in a statement.

The partner startups of IAF's Directorate of Aerospace Design (DAD) at the expo are expected to showcase niche technologies and products like RF Gun to counter unmanned aerial threat, High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS), loitering ammunition, air-launched flexible assets, augmented reality /virtual reality (AR/VR) smart glasses tech tool for training, expandable active decoys, real-time aircrew health monitoring system, and foldable field mats to mitigate quick runway repair, highlighting the growing strength and potential of India's aerospace sector.

The DAD has been steering these startups toward developing cutting-edge technologies that align with the future requirements of the lAF in line with the government's push towards 'Atmanirbharta'.