Berlin Air Show opens today - Indian defence minister, Antony, leads high profile team
27 May 2008
The inauguration of ILA 2008, the world's oldest air show, will take place today at the hands of the German chancellor, Dr Angela Merkel. The Berlin-based air show celebrates its 99th anniversary this year.
According to the official schedule, Dr Merkel, will take a 90-minute tour of the show accompanied by the Indian minister of defence, AK Antony and other VIPs. The opening tour commences at 12.30pm at the display commemorating the ''60th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift'' on the eastern side of the exhibition site.
The Schoenefeld airport, where the air show is based, was also the site for the largest ever airlift operation post-WWII, when the then Allied Forces lifted food and other essential items to Berlin in an attempt to break a blockade imposed on the city by the Soviet forces in East Germany.
Dr Merkel will open the event next to the Airbus A380.
The 2008 edition of the show has drawn record participation with 1,127 exhibitors from 37 countries. There are more than 300 aircraft in attendance with quite a few of these taking part in flying displays.
The exhibition takes place on an aggregate area of 250,000 square metres, with participants setting up 13 exhibition pavilions on a total area of 55,000 sq.m.
The show, which will remain open for public display and business till 1 June, will also host about 100 conferences and round table meetings on the development of aerospace science and technology. A important theme to be discussed at these conferences will be low emission flights.
India at ILA 2008
This year the largest exhibition on display will be that hosted by India, which has been designated as a partner nation. About 25 Indian companies and organisations will be represented at the show, with exhibits covering an area of 1,200 square metres.
Apart from an exhibition of its aerospace industry, the Indian Air Force will put its helicopter aerobatics team 'Sarang' on display. The 'Sarang' team displays aerobatics with a team of four 'Dhruv' helicopters. These HAL-built helicopters have been developed with technical consultancy provided by German aerospace manufacturer MBB. The 'Dhruv' bears a striking family resemblance to the MBB BK 117.
The link between India and Germany has been especially strong in the aerospace field. Though the Indian armed forces have traditionally been supplied with either Russian, British or French aircraft it is relatively less known within the country that Ggerman engineers and scientists have had a critical role to play in the development of India's technological capabilities in the aerospace and defence sector.
Professor Kurt Tank, for example, creator of the wartime Focke Wulf FW 190 fighter, worked in India from 1955 until 1970 and led the team responsible for creating the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) HF-24 Marut – India's first indigenous supersonic strike fighter.
To this day an HF-24 is displayed at the Deutsche Museum Flugwerft at Schleissheim in Bavaria.
