Great to have UKDC’s Head of International Engagement, Al Castle, visit India as part of the UK HMG India engagement week. The event was led by the Minister of Defence Procurement, RH Alex Chalk, Air Vice-Marshal Richard Maddison of the Royal Air Force and supported by British manufacturing companies including members of the UK Defence Growth Partnership.
Al attended the Global Investors Summit in Lucknow which showcased a State leading in high technology manufacturing and seeking to create collaborative opportunities for the United Kingdom in a broad range of sectors. The event brought together a number of partner countries, more than 1,000 foreign delegates and 25,000 visitors to showcase the state. This was followed with a focus on Aerospace and Defence in Bangalore in support of the bi-annual show at the Yelahanka Air Base.
Aero-India is one of the regions busiest shows – on the ground with over 800 Defence companies varying from across a broad spectrum of technologies and capabilities and in the sky HAL aircraft, Tejas – LCA, HTT-40 as well as several Helicopter platforms indigenously designed and developed in India.
The focus of the show was in the UK support to ‘atmanirbharta’ – a self-reliant India, by seeking out opportunities where both the UK and India can continue to build on a long and successful history of partnership across the Aerospace and Defence domains. As India continues to grow it will be vital to find ways to increase industrial collaboration and trade in this sector, to the benefit of both UK and India prosperity.
