JOIN USFlying Maruti likely top draw at B'lore air show
Besides the novelties, the mega event may also result in some business deals both civil and military with global aero majors making a beeline for the biannual event helping India and neighbouring countries pick up platforms and equipment.
Though the flying Maruti 800 could emerge as the most popular item from the show, it is unclear whether its creators have used the car to develop a concept machine or use the Maruti engine to build a tiny aircraft. It is also not clear if they have foreign collaborators.
Defence officials, including the defence production secretary R K Singh, are maintaining silence on the flying car stressing only that it is a local innovation and bears no connection with Maruti Udyog Ltd.
The flying Maruti-800 from a private innovator figures in the official list of the aircraft that will be on static and flying display at the five-day air show commencing on February 9. The officials said the innovator must be serious about its potential as the company hired exhibition space that comes at a premium.
The Austrian aerobatics team, the Flying Bulls, is also likely to be a major draw. Indeed, the Air Show has attracted 675 companies, a 332 per cent jump in official delegations from all over the world. The Bulls as well as Surya Kiran and Sarang teams will fly on all the five days.
In their debut show in India, Bulls are likely to perform their signature mirror stunt in which the lead aircraft fly upside down while a second aircraft fly right side up mirroring the flight of the lead aircraft. The aerobatics team will use ZLIN Z50 LX aircraft for the spectacle.
With India opening its defence offset to civil aviation, the civil component in the air show has gone up considerably from its 2009 edition. Civilian jets like Hawker Beechcraft and Piaggio will show up in Bangalore to grab a piece of the expanding Indian civil aviation market.
On the fighter side, five of the six contenders of the Rs 42,000 crore 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft deal will fly in Bangalore and try to impress the defence ministry officials, who would have to shortlist a few of them for price negotiation.
Among the significant absentees will be MiG-35 despite the big Russian presence at the show. “We have told the embassy in Moscow to find out why MiG-35 are not coming,” Singh said.