KUALA LUMPUR — The Indian Air Force’s Surya Kiran aerobatic team has withdrawn from participating in the upcoming Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2025 (LIMA’25), Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin confirmed today.
He said India had initially agreed to send the team to the biennial showcase but was forced to pull out due to ongoing challenges in the country, Bernama reported.
“… they (India) could not proceed with that intention because we are also aware of the situation and challenges currently facing the country,” he told reporters after inspecting preparations for LIMA’25.
Despite India’s absence, Mohamed Khaled said the event will still feature aerobatic displays from several international teams, including Russia’s Russian Knights and Indonesia’s Jupiter.
“Participation from our own aerobatic teams will include solo displays by the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Layang-Layang Flying Academy and Aerotree Defence and Services,” he added.
A total of 57 aircraft are expected to be involved in this 17th edition of the exhibition, comprising 43 static air assets from both local and international participants — a notable increase from the 34 aircraft showcased at LIMA’23.
“Of that, 26 are from Malaysia and 17 from countries such as Brunei, Germany, Italy, Canada, Singapore, Russia and the United States. This also includes commercial aircraft from countries like India, Brazil, France and Italy,” he said.
On the maritime segment, Mohamed Khaled said 31 vessels from domestic and foreign participants will take part in static displays and a fleet review, an increase from the 19 ships featured at the previous edition.
“Out of the 31, 19 are local vessels while 12 are from countries including Singapore, Indonesia and the United States.
“For the maritime demonstrations, a total of 39 assets will be involved, compared to 28 in LIMA’23,” he added. – May 19, 2025