Lucknow, February 5: The 11th edition of the biennial defence exhibition, DefExpo 2020 commenced on Wednesday in Lucknow. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the five-day event, which will conclude on February 9. Defence Minister and Local MP Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Defence Shripad Yesho Naik, UP Governor Anandi Ben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were also present at the event. It is for the first time that Lucknow is hosting such a big defence related event. Coronavirus Outbreak: Chinese Delegation Cancel Their Visit to DefExpo 2020 Over NCoV Scare.

Speaking at the event, PM Modi said, "Be it artillery guns, aircraft carrier, frigates, submarines, light combat aircrafts, combat helicopters many such equipments are being manufactured in India." He further added, " Seeing new security challenges, the security forces are developing new technologies. Our aim is to develop 25 products based on artificial intelligence in the next five years."

In DefExpo 2020, a total of 1,029 companies will participate, including 165 foreign defence manufacturing firms. The defence event is based on the theme “Digital transformation of defence”. India will showcase its defence products and technologies developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The event is aimed at giving a boost to the Modi government’s “Make in India” programme. The “India Pavilion” will exclusively showcase the jointness between the public and private sector.

Video of PM Modi Inaugurating DefExpo 2020:

The major attraction of the event will be the participation of Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale jet. The defence manufacturer said, “For this first appearance at the exhibition, Dassault Aviation will display on its booth, located Hall 3, a scale 1:10 Rafale mockup with the Indian colours to pay tribute to the induction of the aircraft in the Indian Air Force (IAF).” DefExpo 2020: Rajnath Singh and UP CM Yogi Adityanath Meet Officials Ahead of Mega Event Scheduled February 5-9.

On the first day of the event, the DRDO displayed its Unmanned Ground Vehicle which can be used by security forces including the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in anti-Naxal operations. Earlier in the day, the public sector defence manufacturer also showcased its Anti-satellite Missile system at the DefExpo 2020. The other defence equipment to be displayed by India, includes Army’s Tk-T-90, BMP, Simulators Firing Range, Surface Mine Clearing System (SMCS), Bridge Layer Tank, AKASH - Surface To Air Missile, K-9 VAJRA and Ultra-Light Howitzer.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 05, 2020 02:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).