Aviation aficionados are set to miss the sonic boom of fighter jets as transport aircraft, helicopters, trainers and UAVs (unmanned air vehicles) will steal the show during “Aero India 2013” commencing at Air Force Station Yelahanka on February 6.
Among the flying machines set to debut at the five-day show are the Pilatus PB-7 Mk-II basic trainer of Switzerland and weaponised version of Made in India “Rudra” helicopter. A low-cost, long-endurance UAV “ScanEagle” of Boeing would make its first appearance at the show. Almost all the fighters which performed breath-taking aerobatics at air shows in 2011 and 2009 — MiG 35 (Russia), F-16 and F/A-18 Super Hornet (USA), JAS-39 Gripen (Sweden), Eurofighter Typhoon and Rafale (France) — will skip this year’s event. All of them were in the race for the $ 11.5 billion medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) contract of Indian Air Force (IAF), but will not show up in the latest edition as the IAF picked the Rafale ahead of others in 2011.
Sources in IAF said the Pilatus PC-7 Mk-II basic trainer would fly for the first time over Indian skies at the air show. The IAF has decided to acquire 75 of these trainers produced by Pilatus in Switzerland, followed by an additional 106 to be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.