Air show takes off without China

By Lin Meilian in Bangalore

There may not be a Chinese presence at Asia's biggest air show this week, but concerns about China's growing military might can be heard among the exhibitions.

About 675 firms and around 40 official delegations from 45 countries and regions are participating in the Aero India 2011 air show, which began in Bangalore Wednesday.

A two-member delegation from China was invited at the last minute but did not attend.

Marco Valerio Bonelli, head of public relations for Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, a multinational company that coordinates the design, production and upgrades of the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, said Thursday that the company is interested in Chinese fighters, specifically the newly unveiled J-20.

"The Typhoon is a very capable fighter; it can locate and fight against the J-20," he said. "As well as (against) the F-22, which is easy to detect because it is very hot."

He added that the four partner nations involved in the Eurofighter program would enhance their cooperation with India by transferring technologies.

India is expected to finalize $12 billion worth of deals to order 126 fighter jets by September, the country's Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik said at the air show Thursday, in a move to upgrade its aircraft fleets and keep its air force competitive with China.

Companies from the US, Europe and Russia are racing to get the orders.

When asked if buying fighter jets from foreign companies would weaken the local industry, G. Yoganandam, a technical instrument fitter for the Indian Air Force, dismissed such worries.

"It's good that we can get technology from outside," he said. "It helps the local industry develop faster."

Mansi Shah, a designer of aircraft systems, told the Global Times that she was disappointed there weren't any Chinese fighters present.

"I only see the pictures of Chinese fighters in the news. I wish I could see them here," she said.