France has once again emerged as the top exhibitor at Aero India. With just a couple of weeks left for the 2025 edition of the biennial air show and aviation exhibition to commence at the Air Force Station Yelahanka, companies from over 15 countries have registered for the event.

Among the foreign countries, France is leading the way with about 35 exhibitors confirming their participation so far, which include Dassault Aviation, Safran, Thales, among others. France has been the top exhibitor in the last few editions of the air show.

U.S. in second spot

The United States of America is the second leading exhibitor with 27 companies registering so far, which include the likes of Lockheed Martin, Boeing and GE Aerospace.

Germany with 22 exhibitors is third, followed by Italy, Russia, the U.K., and Israel.

Exhibitors from Canada, Norway, Sweden, Australia, Slovak Republic, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Taiwan have also registered for the event which will take place between February 10 and 14.

Among the aircraft which will be on flying and static display, so far the organisers have only announced the participation of the fixed and rotary wing platforms developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The last edition of the air show saw the participation of foreign aircraft like the F-35A Lightning II and F-35A Joint Strike Fighter. These two U.S. aircraft made their Aero India debut last time.

MRFA deal

Also interesting to watch during the upcoming edition would be the participation of global aircraft manufacturers who are vying to bag the 114 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) deal.

The Indian Air Force had issued a Request For Information (RFI) for 114 MRFA in April 2019 to global aircraft manufacturers and the companies which had responded to the RFI are Dassault, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, SAAB, Eurofighter and United Aircraft Corporation. Most of these companies are participating in the air show.

Back in 2023

Over 100 countries participated in the 2023 edition of the air show, with about 809 exhibitors and a footfall of over seven lakh visitors. Over 250 MoUs and partnerships worth more than ₹75,000 crore were finalised during the air show.