Bengaluru is the starting point of ADA's two-day national conference, "Aeronautics 2047”

The Admiral Development Agency held a National Symposium to discuss Aeronautics 2047 on January 4, 2026, at the Centre for Airborne Systems in Bengaluru over a period of two days. The Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, opened the symposium where he praised ADA for achieving twenty-five years of flight testing of the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas and highlighted the importance of meeting delivery schedules for maintaining operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force in this fast-changing modern age.

During his presentation, Dr. Samir V. Kamat, Chairman, DRDO and Secretary of Defence R&D, stressed the need for achieving technologically advanced indigenous capabilities, thereby allowing for the eventual phase-out of imported technologies while striving for the objective of Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047.

In order to share their perspectives on the development of aeronautics, design innovation, manufacturing, and future frontiers, the seminar has brought together domain specialists, business partners, academia, aviation enthusiasts, and speakers from within the aerospace community. Aeronautics-2047 aims to investigate many facets of contemporary aerospace technologies, such as next-generation aircraft manufacturing and assembly, digital manufacturing, aerodynamics for next-generation combat aircraft, propulsion technologies, flight testing methods, digital twin technology, certification issues, flight control systems and avionics, maintainability issues in fighter aircraft, artificial intelligence in aircraft design, and precision manufacturing for actuators.

The seminar will focus on the Indian space technology of tomorrow and the A to Z of LCA Tejas. The LCA Tejas has successfully made over 5,600 trial flights and was created by ADA (Aeronautical Development Agency) that initiated the project. More than 100 design work centres involving Government labs, academic institutes and industries collaborated with this programme. To make LCA a world power, several display technologies such as carbon composites, fly-by-wire control, etc. were developed.

The LCA Mk1A is an upgraded version of the home-designed and manufactured fighter aircraft and will be a very effective platform for satisfying the IAF’s operational needs. The LCA MK II and LCA Navy projects are also in the pipeline. The seminar will see a lineup of interrelated technical discussions by esteemed and celebrated speakers who are closely linked to the Tejas saga.

The nation has a lot to thank the LCA Tejas development for, as it has now become both a capability holder and capacity builder for the domestic fighter aircraft market. The LCA project is considered one of the most successful local defence development programmes, and IAF got a magnificent air superiority fighter. The IAF has already received 38 aircraft (32 Fighters and 6 Trainers) for its two squadrons.

PSUs, DPSUs, Industries, MSMEs and others are pulling out all the stops for their products that are indigenously designed and developed for airborne applications at this seminar.