When Decades of Defence Leadership Meet the Future: Why aerpace Is Building for What Comes Next

What happens when decades of experience at the highest levels of India's defence ecosystem meet a company determined to build technologies for the future? 

You get something more valuable than another milestone. 

You get perspective. 

You get institutional knowledge. 

You get operational understanding. 

And, perhaps most importantly, you get the opportunity to move faster while making better-informed decisions.

That is why the arrival of Shri Giridhar Aramane, Former Defence Secretary of India, and Air Vice Marshal Rajesh Bhandari, VSM (Veteran), is an important moment in the journey of aerpace. 

For a company working across aerospace, defence technology, autonomous systems, indigenous manufacturing and future mobility, experience at this level can fundamentally strengthen the path ahead.

The Future Needs More Than Technology

It is easy to think of aerospace and defence innovation as an engineering challenge. 

Build the aircraft. 

Develop the propulsion system. 

Create the autonomous platform. 

Test the technology. 

But the real world is considerably more complicated. 

A defence capability has to work within operational requirements, procurement systems, logistics networks, maintenance frameworks, regulatory environments and strategic priorities. 

The difference between an impressive prototype and a deployable capability often comes down to understanding these realities. 

This is where decades of experience matter. 

And this is precisely where the new leadership additions bring tremendous value to aerpace.

Shri Giridhar Aramane: Experience at the Highest Levels of Defence Administration 

Shri Giridhar Aramane strengthen aerpace’s aerospace, defence and indigenous technology vision. 

Shri Giridhar Aramane brings a remarkable career spanning 38 years of public service. 

An M.Tech graduate from IIT Madras and a 1988-batch IAS officer, he has worked across some of India's most important institutions and sectors, including administration, infrastructure, defence finance, urban development and research and development. 

From 2022 to 2024, he served as the 39th Defence Secretary of India. 

That role placed him at the centre of India's defence administration during a period of significant modernisation and transformation. 

His career also includes serving as Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, along with important responsibilities in the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and IRDAI. 

For aerpace, his experience provides something difficult to replicate quickly: a deep understanding of how national-level policy, institutions, industry and strategic objectives come together. 

As India continues to strengthen indigenous defence capabilities and encourage greater participation from the private sector, that perspective becomes increasingly relevant. 

From Defence Policy to Defence Capability

There is a significant difference between understanding defence policy and understanding how defence capabilities operate in the field. 

This is where Air Vice Marshal Rajesh Bhandari, VSM (Veteran) adds another dimension. 

Air Vice Marshal Rajesh Bhandari strengthen aerpace’s aerospace, defence and indigenous technology vision. 

Commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 1990, AVM Bhandari served for more than 35 years and ultimately held the position of Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Procurement) at Air Headquarters. 

His career has been deeply connected with defence procurement, logistics, operational support and strategic supply chains. 

He was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) for his distinguished service. 

During his senior leadership career, he was involved in managing logistics and procurement requirements for more than 1,500 aircraft across over 60 operational bases, with an annual logistics budget exceeding ₹3,600 crore. 

His experience also involved working with major aerospace and defence OEMs from France, Israel, Russia and the United States. 

These numbers tell only part of the story. 

Behind them is decades of experience understanding what keeps complex aviation and defence systems operational. 

Why This Matters for aerShield 

For aerpace, one of the most important areas where this experience can make a difference is aerShield. 

Developing a defence platform is not simply about designing an aircraft or autonomous system. 

The difficult questions come afterward. 

Can it meet mission requirements? 

Can it be maintained efficiently?

Can it operate reliably? 

How does it fit into existing logistics systems? 

What does procurement look like? 

How does it scale? 

How does it perform in real operational environments? 

These are questions that require engineering knowledge—but also operational experience. 

AVM Bhandari's background across procurement, logistics and aviation provides a perspective that can help aerpace think beyond the initial design and toward the larger defence ecosystem. 

That is an important distinction.

Two Different Perspectives. One Larger Vision. 

The value of bringing these two leaders into aerpace is not simply their individual experience. 

It is the combination. 

Shri Giridhar Aramane brings the strategic and institutional perspective. 

AVM Rajesh Bhandari brings the operational and procurement perspective. 

One understands the larger architecture of national defence administration and policy. 

The other brings decades of experience dealing with the practical realities of aviation, logistics and defence procurement. 

For an organisation attempting to build future technologies, having both perspectives at the table can be powerful. 

Because the future is rarely built from technology alone. 

It is built by connecting technology with reality. 

India's Aerospace and Defence Opportunity Is Changing 

India's aerospace and defence landscape is undergoing a significant transformation. 

Indigenous manufacturing is becoming increasingly important. 

Private companies are playing a larger role. 

Advanced autonomous systems are creating new possibilities. 

Defence procurement is evolving. 

And the ambition to build greater technological self-reliance is becoming increasingly central to India's long-term strategy. 

This creates an extraordinary opportunity for companies willing to work at the intersection of engineering, manufacturing and national capability. 

For aerpace, that opportunity extends beyond a single aircraft or platform. 

It is about building an ecosystem. 

From Mobility to Defence Technology 

The aerpace vision spans multiple interconnected areas—including future transportation, aerospace, energy, defence and infrastructure. 

The company's broader ecosystem includes technologies and concepts designed to connect air and ground mobility with energy, intelligence, autonomous systems and infrastructure. 

Within this ecosystem, aerShield represents the defence-focused direction. 

The ambition is not simply to create another technology. 

It is to contribute to a broader future in which Indian engineering, manufacturing and innovation can support critical national capabilities.

That is an ambitious journey. 

And ambitious journeys require the right people. 

This Is What MakeTime Means 

At aerpace, there is a simple philosophy behind the work: 

MakeTime. 

It is about refusing to simply wait for the future. 

It is about creating it. 

But making time is not the same as rushing. 

True acceleration comes from reducing unnecessary learning curves, making informed decisions and bringing the right expertise into the right conversations at the right time. 

That is why the addition of leaders with decades of experience matters. 

Their knowledge can help aerpace understand complex environments faster. 

Their perspective can challenge assumptions. 

Their experience can help identify risks earlier. 

And their insights can help connect ambitious engineering ideas with real-world requirements. 

In that sense, their arrival is very much aligned with the MakeTime philosophy.

The Next Chapter 

There are moments in a company's journey when the significance of an announcement goes beyond the announcement itself. 

For aerpace, welcoming Shri Giridhar Aramane and Air Vice Marshal Rajesh Bhandari represents one of those moments. 

It brings together decades of national-level defence leadership, aviation experience, procurement knowledge and operational understanding with a technology-driven vision for the future. 

The journey ahead will not be simple. 

Building advanced aerospace and defence capabilities never is. 

But the objective is clear. 

To build. 

To learn faster. 

To strengthen India's indigenous capabilities. 

And to help create technologies that can serve the needs of tomorrow. 

Because the future does not arrive fully formed. 

It is built by the people willing to make time for it. 

About aerpace 

aerpace is an Indian technology-driven company focused on future transportation, clean energy, defence and infrastructure. 

Its broader ecosystem spans aerospace, eVTOL mobility, air taxis, autonomous systems, renewable energy, electric mobility, defence technology and intelligent infrastructure. 

Through its MakeTime philosophy, aerpace focuses on creating future-ready technologies and accelerating the journey from vision to reality. 

We MakeTime. 

About aerpace 

aerpace is an Indian technology-driven company focused on future transportation, clean energy, defence and infrastructure. 

Its broader ecosystem spans aerospace, eVTOL mobility, air taxis, autonomous systems, renewable energy, electric mobility, defence technology and intelligent infrastructure. 

Through its MakeTime philosophy, aerpace focuses on creating future-ready technologies and accelerating the journey from vision to reality.