Hyderabad, November 13, 2026: Hyderabad will host two major international events—NDE 2026, the 36th Annual Conference on Non-Destructive Evaluation and Enabling Technologies, and AeroNDT 2026, the 15th International Symposium on NDT in Aerospace—from November 15 to 17, 2026, at HITEX Exhibition Centre, Hall No. 4. The events are organised by the Indian Society for Non-Destructive Testing (ISNT) and are expected to attract over 2,000 professionals and more than 100 exhibitors from India and abroad.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the joint conference and exhibition as Chief Guest on November 15, with D Sridhar Babu, Minister for IT, Government of Telangana, as guest of honour. The events will bring together industry leaders, scientists, researchers, academicians, engineers, students and technology providers to discuss advances in non-destructive evaluation (NDE), aerospace inspection, industrial safety and emerging engineering technologies under the theme “Innovation for Strategic and Economic Excellence.”
BrahMos export talks and NDT’s role
Dr Jaiteerth R Joshi, President-ISNT, Director General of DRDO, and CEO & MD of BrahMos Aerospace, stated that BrahMos export talks with Southeast Asian nations are at an advanced stage, with the Philippines deal completed and an understanding agreement signed with Vietnam. He emphasised that non-destructive testing played a crucial role in ensuring the reliability of BrahMos missiles over the past 15 to 20 years.
Dr Joshi also highlighted the growing use of artificial intelligence in NDT, particularly in the aerospace sector, noting that India is now developing indigenous testing capabilities that previously relied on countries like Singapore.
Conference programme and technical tracks
The conference will feature three major technical tracks: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Non-Destructive Testing and Structural Health Monitoring; Digital Twin and Digital Thread in Design, Integration, Reliability and NDE; and Building India’s Aerospace NDT Competence Framework, focusing on NAS410/EN4179 implementation and the development of a National Aerospace NDT Board (NANDTB).
The programme includes scientific presentations, plenary sessions, thematic discussions, poster presentations, industry interactions, memorial lectures, and an awards ceremony. Selected full-length papers will be published in a special edition of the conference proceedings by Springer Nature. Four pre-conference tutorials will be held on November 14, covering digital radiography and AI-enabled inspection, NDE for renewable energy, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and NAS410 and NADCAP requirements for aerospace NDT organisations.
Industry participation and awards
Supporting organisations include Reliance Industries Limited, BrahMos, DRDO, MIDHANI, MR Chime, Larsen & Toubro, Godrej, the Indian Air Force, CECI Technologies, Ooga Technologies, TPAC, Modsonic, The Welding Institute (TWI), and McGean. The event will also feature a visit to an aerospace facility and a special session on aerospace certification and digital transformation, jointly conducted by AeroNDT 2026 and NDE 2026.
ISNT’s National NDT Awards will be presented for excellence in research and development, industrial applications, NDT systems innovation, scientific publications, young scientist achievements, and lifetime contributions. Award categories include the ISNT-EEC Award, ISNT-P-MET Award, ISNT-MQS Award, ISNT-IXAR Award, ISNT-Eastwest Award, ISNT-CHOKSI IMAGING Best Chapter Award, ISNT Lifetime Achievement Award, ISNT-CHOKSI ASIA Young Scientist Award, and the ISNT National NDT Award for International Recognition.
Sector context and organisers
The joint platform aims to strengthen collaboration among aerospace, defence, manufacturing, energy, transportation, and infrastructure sectors. The ISNT Hyderabad Chapter is hosting the event in collaboration with BINDT, DGZfP, and COFREND. Organisers Suryaprakash, Mohan Nair, and Shiva Kumar noted a shortage of NDT engineers in India, calling it a matter of concern.
Established in 1972, ISNT is a non-profit professional organisation with over 5,000 members across 19 chapters in India, dedicated to promoting non-destructive testing through education, research, and technical exchange. AeroNDT, established in 2008, focuses on research and development achievements in aerospace NDT and the needs of scientists and industrial researchers.
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