The IAF HQ Maintenance Command has joined hands with the Gujarat Industrial Investment Corporation (GIIC) and Gujarat State Financial Corporation (GSFC) to hold an exposition-cum-seminar on Air Force Randezvous for Gujarat Sector `AIR(GS)-2000' here on August 5 and 6.

The theme of the event will be `Swadeshi Udaan' as per the government's recent policy of `import substitution through indigenisation of the strategic components'.

It will be hosted in collaboration with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) jointly with Ahmedabad-based Sagar Group of Enteprises and Placon Management Services.

According to GSFC managing director SK Nanda, the main objectives of the event are `acquainting the vendors in details of sophisticated products, including developing codified IT software, bringing them in direct contact with IAF technical personnels thereby reducing the share of middleman'.

Besides boosting the sales of such units, he said, the tie-up would help the vendors get institutional back up of GSFC and GIIC through more liberal financial assistance to modernise and expansion of their plants, subject to the size of the market.

The two-day event will be inaugurated by AOC-in-C Air Marshall SS Gupta, the keynote address to be delivered by Air Marshall DC Nigam.

According to Air Cmde PK Desai, the `AIR(GS)-2000' would offer an opportunity to the entrepreneurs in one of the most industrialisesd states to interact with 65 officers from IAF base repair depots and maintenance units.

Since the aviation electronics (avionics) and other allied systems require stringent quality measures, the IAF Maintenance Command proposes to help the shortlisted companies with development cost to `source, re-engineer and develop spares, systems, sub-systems' and to get them `airwothiness certification'.

While the IAF maintained an inventory of spares and components worth Rs 2,300 crores for the maintenance of air-borne and ground services, he said, the bulk of them were at present imported, at the same time the supply being quite irregular.

These items are usually made of iron and steel, plastics, rubber and chips but with qualities to withstand very high vibrations, gravitational and aerodynamic forces, temperatures ranging from minus 50 degrees Celsius to engine temperature of 1000 degrees C, even rubber components need to withstand temperature of 200 to 300 degrees C.

While IAF will set up 20 stalls at the venue of the exhibition to display the range, it would offer 20 stalls to prospective vendors on first-come-first-served basis on token rent.

Desai said that IAF had arranged five such randezvous earlier at Nashik, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai, each attracting about 100 vendors with 50 per cent of them being awarded the contracts.