Aero India 2025: Rajnath Singh's 'SAGAR' vision for Indian Ocean as China, Pakistan hold naval drills

It’s an action-packed day 2 of Aero India 2025 today. From yet another stunning mid-air manoeuvres to key defence announcements, Asia’s biggest air show witnessed a flurry of activities at Yelahanka Air Force Station. A day after inaugurating the exhibition, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took part in the Defence Ministers’ Conclave on Tuesday.

While the focus is on showcasing and strengthening air power, Singh extensively spoke about the significance of the Indian Ocean. Addressing the Conclave, Singh said that India has adopted the vision of ‘SAGAR’ for the Indian Ocean region. Elaborating the roadmap, Singh defined SAGAR as ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region.’

The statement comes at a time when India’s two nuclear-armed neighbours – Pakistan and China – are holding naval drills in Karachi. The multinational military exercise has seen participation from Bangladesh, Japan, Indonesia as well.

It should be noted that New Delhi is currently heading the Indian Ocean Rim Association. India’s stint will continue for next two year.

Singh, who earlier had said that global power rivalry is at play in the Indian Ocean region, on Tuesday underscored the importance of ‘blue economy.’ He also said that India is continuously working with other global players to fight issues such as piracy, climate-linked worries, terrorism among others.

For India, Indian Ocean Region is of strategic importance from both geo-political as well as commerce standpoints. Over 95 percent of India’s trade (in terms of volume) is linked to the region.

While there has been no direct conflict between India and China in the region, Beijing has been making significant inroads to increase its influence. China, which has the largest navy in the world, has been developing naval infrastructure such as jetties, multi-use ports in countries Maldives, Cambodia and Myanmar among others. As per the latest estimates by Pentagon, China has 370 ships and submarines.

Aero India 2025 Day 2: HAL, Adani in focus

Hindustan Aeronautics stole the show as its Light Utility Helicopter enthralled the audience. Speaking to the media later, HAL CMD Dr DK Sunil said that the company’s orderbook is full till 2030. He said that most of them are manufacturing orders. “We have orders worth Rs 1,20,000 crore. We anticipate that in the next year, we will add another Rs 1,00,000 crore to our order book,” Dr DK Sunil was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Apart from HAL, Adani Defence was also in news as it unveiled PPP-based Vehicle-Mounted Counter-Drone System. The system is being developed in collaboration with DRDO.