The recent state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States was a significant event that captured the attention of the world. The warm and friendly relations between Prime Minister Modi and President Biden, as well as the many bilateral agreements that were announced, were a clear indication of the strong and growing partnership between India and the United States. A detailed story by Ayushee Chaudhary, highlighting some key happenings from the visit in the defence, aerospace, and technological side is presented in this issue of the magazine. In a connected report, Air Vice Marshal Sanjay Bhatnagar (Retd), talks about the key takeaways in the acquisition of MQ-9B RPAS that this visit facilitated from the US, that aims to significantly enhance India’s defence with advanced surveillance and strike capabilities.

Dr Vivek Lall, Chief Executive, General Atomics with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter’s state visit to US. Prime Minister Modi and the US President Biden announced the agreement for 31 armed drones from GA.

On the Commercial Aviation front as well, India was in the front and centre of global news at the Paris Air Show, which saw major deals being struck at this global aviation event. A report by Ayushee Chaudhary, highlighting key happenings from the first three days of the Airshow has been included in this edition of the magazine. Held every two years, this year’s 54th edition of the Show marked a significant milestone as it resumed after a four-year hiatus since 2019.

Another detailed report gives an overview of the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) show that convened the business aviation fraternity from all across the globe. Game-changing technologies, the debut of new aircraft, groundbreaking solutions for sustainable flight, and exciting market opportunities took center stage at the EBACE2023. Additionally, Dassault Aviation’s Falcon programme completed 60 glorious years. A report scripts a glimpse of their journey over these six decades. Marking the milestone, Dassault Falcon’s newest Falcon 6X also made its debut at the Paris Air Show.

Along with innovation, sustainability continues to grow to be a vital component of all new advancements in technology, the discussions happening on a large global scale, as well as at the heart of such airshows and conventions. A report by Joseph Noronha talks about solving the net zero conundrum with SAF as the aviation industry realises it as the most viable option to attain the very challenging target of net zero CO₂ emissions by 2050.

All this and more in this issue of SP’s Aviation. Welcome aboard and we wish you many happy landings!