Rajnath Singh to inaugurate BrahMos missile production unit in Lucknow today

Lucknow, May 11 (IANS) Amid military tensions with Pakistan, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will virtually inaugurate the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile production unit on Sunday at the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor in Lucknow.

The facility is designed to manufacture 80 to 100 BrahMos missiles annually and marks a significant step in strengthening India's indigenous defence capabilities.

The production facility, built at a cost of Rs 300 crore, will produce the BrahMos missile -- a precision-strike weapon with a range between 290-400 km and capable of flying at a top speed of Mach 2.8.

Developed by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India's DRDO and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya, the missile can be launched from land, sea, or air and operates using a "fire and forget" guidance system.

From the newly established Aerospace Integration and Testing Facility in Lucknow, an estimated 80 to 100 BrahMos missiles will be manufactured annually.

In addition, the unit will also produce 100 to 150 next-generation BrahMos missiles every year. These new variants will be ready for delivery within a year, according to officials.

A notable upgrade in the next-generation version is its weight -- reduced to 1,290 kilograms from the current 2,900 kilograms -- and an extended strike range of over 300 kilometres.

This reduction in weight will allow fighter jets like the Sukhoi, which currently carry only one BrahMos missile, to be equipped with up to three next-generation variants.

The production unit is a key part of the Defence Industrial Corridor initiative announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 2018 Global Investors' Summit.

The foundation stone of the facility was laid in 2021. Constructed over 80 hectares of land provided free of cost by the Uttar Pradesh government, the unit was completed in just three and a half years.

In a statement issued ahead of the inauguration, officials said that along with the manufacturing unit, the BrahMos Aerospace Integration and Testing Facility will also be opened.

This facility will handle missile assembly and testing processes, ensuring high-quality standards in production.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is scheduled to attend the event, which will also see the launch of the Titanium and Super Alloys Materials Plant (Strategic Materials Technology Complex). The plant will produce vital materials used in aerospace and defence manufacturing.

In addition, the foundation stone for the Defence Testing Infrastructure System (DTIS) will also be laid.

The DTIS will serve as a hub for the testing and certification of various defence products, helping bolster India's self-reliant defence sector.

The Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor comprises six nodes -- Lucknow, Kanpur, Aligarh, Agra, Jhansi, and Chitrakoot -- and aims to attract substantial investments in defence manufacturing.

Uttar Pradesh is the second state, after Tamil Nadu, to establish a dedicated defence corridor, further solidifying its role in national security and defence production.

--IANS

sd/