Air power is the total ability of a nation to assert its will through the medium of air. It comprises primarily the assets of the air force but also includes the air arms of the other Services, state governments and the civilian passenger and cargo fleet. Any differentiation that is made, intentionally or inadvertently, results in undermining the capability of this potent instrument available to the government.

Air shows are events that are hosted by nations to showcase their industry to the world. The showcasing includes many nuances starting with the dissemination of information of the new products that are available for sale. These aviation assets are put on static display for decision makers and the lay public to view up close, and some, if not most, put up a flying display to show their prowess and special capabilities.

Key decision takers and perception makers (media included) are offered flights in the aircraft being publicised to ‘shape the environment’ — in the lead up to the Indian decision to select a fighter for the USD 12 billion (price quoted a few years back in the press) Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) requirement, all leading vendors flew IAF test pilots and some senior officers at Aero India shows while Boeing gave a well-publicised spin to leading industrialist Ratan Tata in an F-18.

Similar ‘customer sorties’ are flown in civil passenger aircraft being offered to airline companies. Armament, avionics, optronics, navigation equipment, computing devices, simulator mock-ups, modern flying helmets and other flying accessories, maintenance equipment et al are hard sold through slick presentations and other sales gimmicks. While all this is the glimmering ‘front end’ of the air show, serious technical and business discussions and hard negotiations go on in the background, as vendors and buyers alike, make use of the opportunity to cash-in on the opportunity of the presence of technical, business and managerial expertise under one roof. It is not for nothing that the disclosure of big business deals, that could have been otherwise announced earlier, are revealed to the world in the environs of an air show as the impact made is magnified many times over. In essence, the host nation, which has the home advantage, announces to the world that it not only is a serious aviation player in the field of manufacturing and R&D but also a facilitator of business tie-ups for major world manufacturers.


The government of India held the first Aero India air show in 1996. It was a combined event, like all world air shows, in which the civil and military industry took part. This continued till 2007 and leading world manufacturers, who generally manufacture both civil and military machines, participated with equipment of both the fields. In modern aviation industry, the two are closely linked, with spin-offs into each other, especially from the military to the civil. This is especially true of technology being sold and developed. The exchange of information and ideas on the vendor stalls and in business meetings, thus, is wholesome and decision makers are able to better grasp how a combination of R&D and manufacturing and purchase in the two fields (civil and military) can bring down costs, inventory and design and manufacturing time; bargains are also struck when purchases are to be made in both the fields.