In what has been billed as a "historic chapter in India's defence history", Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, on Friday, laid the foundation stone for a ₹16,000 crore combat aircraft infrastructure project for India's fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme in Puttaparthi of Andhra Pradesh.
The Aircraft Integration & Flight Testing Centre of Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) for aircraft integration, testing, validation and certification is expected to accelerate the development of the AMCA programme. The project is being developed ADA under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The project was inaugurated a year after the defence ministry accorded permission for the execution model for India's fifth-generation fighter jet programme, granting equal opportunities to both private and public sector players in the development of the aircraft.
Singh observed that such facilities are owned only by a few countries. "Puttaparthi is set to join the exclusive league of global destinations from which a fifth-generation aircraft will take to the skies. It will become the birthplace of an aircraft capable of annihilating the enemy in the blink of an eye,” the defence minister said.
India's fifth-generation fighter jet programme is progressing rapidly with three consortia—Tata Advanced Systems Limited, bidding as an independent entity, a Larsen & Toubro–Bharat Electronics Limited-led consortium, and a consortium led by Bharat Forge along with BEML and Data Pattern—are bidding for the development of the prototype. "We have ended up in the AMCA shortlisting process with three private sector-led consortia. Two of them are a happy blend of private and public, one is entirely private, and hopefully they will receive RFPs (request for proposal) in the next month or so," Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh had recently said.
Naidu said the initiative would showcase the capabilities of India's defence sector and strengthen indigenous combat aircraft manufacturing using homegrown technology.
Along with the AMCA project, Singh and Naidu also laid the foundation for a few more defence and drone city projects. These are a naval systems manufacturing facility of Bharat Dynamics Limited at T. Sirasapalli village in Anakapalli district; a defence energetics facility of Agneyastra Energetics Limited, which is a subsidiary of Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited; and an ammunition & electric fuze plant of HFCL Limited at Madakasira, Sri Satya Sai district.
"A new era is starting today in Andhra Pradesh's history, and a historic chapter is being written in India's defence history. Four major projects are starting in today's foundation stone laying ceremony. Beside them, eight drone companies are also starting a drone city in Kurnool," said Defence Minister Singh.
The ₹480 crore naval systems manufacturing facility will focus on autonomous underwater vehicles, underwater counter-measure systems, and next-generation torpedoes. Singh said he hopes the defence energetics facility will produce weapons that will bolster India’s defence preparedness.
Terming ‘fuse’ as the most critical component of any ammunition, Singh expressed confidence that the fuse plant will mark the beginning of a new chapter in the country’s journey towards self-reliance in ammunition manufacturing.
He noted that defence manufacturing is a critical imperative to safeguard national interests in the current era of global turbulence, and added that in matters of national security, the aim must be to achieve self-reliance rather than perpetual dependence on other nations.
“These projects will cater to all the branches of the defence forces. This strategic diversification is not coincidental. Our objective is crystal clear: We are advancing with the resolute goal of achieving self-reliance in the defence sector, ensuring that the three Services are future-ready. The projects will prove to be a milestone in the nation’s pursuit of self-reliance and Andhra Pradesh’s journey of development,” the defence minister said.
