TN Defence Industrial Corridor to get advanced testing facilities

New Delhi: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish three state-of-the-art testing facilities in Chennai and Tamil Nadu. These facilities will focus on Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), Electronic Warfare (EW), and Electro-Optics (EO) domains. The MoU was exchanged between senior officials of MoD and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited, in the presence of Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane.

This initiative is part of the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS), launched by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in May 2020. With an outlay of Rs 400 crore, DTIS aims to set up advanced testing facilities in collaboration with private industry and Central/State Governments. The scheme’s goal is to promote indigenous defence production, reduce reliance on imported military equipment, and enhance self-reliance in the sector.

The MoU signed today pertains to three of the seven approved testing facilities under DTIS, with four in Tamil Nadu and three in Uttar Pradesh. The facilities in Tamil Nadu will be located in the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor.

The DTIS scheme provides up to 75 per cent of government funding as ‘Grant-in-Aid,’ with the remaining 25 per cent being funded by Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) comprising Indian private entities and State/Central Governments.

Keltron, a government undertaking from Kerala, will lead the SPV for the UAS testing facility, with private sector companies as consortium members. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and India Optel Limited (IOL) are the lead SPV members for the EW and EO testing facilities, respectively.

Once completed, these facilities will offer advanced testing equipment and services to both government and private industries, significantly boosting ‘Aatmanirbharta’ (self-reliance) in defence.