To bolster India’s defence capabilities, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish three state-of-the-art testing facilities in Chennai under the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor. The MoU, exchanged between senior officials of the MoD and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited, took place in the presence of Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane.
The three testing facilities will cater to Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), Electronic Warfare (EW), and Electro Optics (EO) domains, aiming to advance indigenous defence production, reduce reliance on military equipment imports, and enhance self-reliance. These initiatives fall under the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS), which was launched by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh in May 2020, with an outlay of Rs 400 crore.
The DTIS aims to establish state-of-the-art testing facilities through collaborations between private industry and Central/State Governments. It supports the defence and aerospace sectors within the Defence Industrial Corridors, with seven approved testing facilities – four in Tamil Nadu and three in Uttar Pradesh. The signing of the MoU for the three facilities in Tamil Nadu marks a crucial step in this direction.
The scheme provides up to 75% government funding as ‘Grant-in-Aid’, with the remaining 25% being contributed by Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), comprising Indian private entities and State/Central Governments. For the UAS testing facility, Keltron, a Government of Kerala undertaking, is the lead SPV member, with support from private sector companies. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and India Optel Limited (IOL) are the lead SPV members for the EW and EO testing facilities respectively.
Upon completion, these testing facilities will offer advanced equipment and services to both government and private industry, significantly boosting the ‘Aatmanirbharta’ initiative in defence.
