With the aim to foster innovation and accelerate defence development, yet another significant addition has been done in the nation. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone for Defence Technology & Test Centre (DTTC) and BRAHMOS Manufacturing Centre, established by Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on December 26, 2021. The foundation for the two units was laid in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G. Satheesh Reddy.

Singh exuded confidence that the two units will play a pivotal role in bolstering national security, defence production as well as the economy of Uttar Pradesh. “The state-of-the-art facilities will prove to be an important milestone in the defence sector. The establishment of these units will generate revenue; provide employment opportunities to the youth and help in achieving ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The message of Make in India, Make for India and Make for World has been sent out globally,” he said.

A first of its kind, DTTC is being set up in over approximately 22 acres to accelerate the growth of the defence and aerospace manufacturing clusters in Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UP DIC). It will consist of the following six subcentres:

• Deep-Tech Innovation & Startup Incubation Centre
• Design & Simulation Centre
• Testing & Evaluation Centre
• Centre for Industry 4.0/Digital Manufacturing
• Skill Development Centre
• Business Development Centre

The Minister also added that the DTTC will provide the technological base to develop defence products keeping in mind the young innovators and startups in Amausi region of Uttar Pradesh. “The Centre will make all endeavours to fulfil the creative energy, capabilities and aspirations of the youth of UP. It will help in bringing the MSMEs of UP together and bring the state at the forefront in the field of defence and aerospace manufacturing. The Centre, through skill development, will create direct and indirect employment in the field of defence and aerospace manufacturing,” said Singh.

On the other hand, the BRAHMOS Manufacturing Centre, announced by BrahMos Aerospace, is a modern, state-ofart facility in the Lucknow node of UP DIC. It will cover over 200 acres and produce the new BRAHMOS-NG (Next Generation) variant, which carries forward the lineage of the BRAHMOS weapons system. The new centre is expected to be ready over the next two to three years and will commence production at a rate of 80-100 BRAHMOS-NG missiles per year.

Singh further reiterated that the purpose of the BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile system is to act as a deterrent. The system not only reflects the technical cooperation between India and Russia, but also the long standing cultural, political and diplomatic ties. He termed BRAHMOS as the world’s best and fastest precision-guided weapon which has strengthened India’s credible deterrence in the 21st century. BRAHMOS has empowered the Armed Forces and raised India’s military stature at the international level.

The state-of-the-art Centre is being set up to implement the MoU exchanged between Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) and DRDO during DefExpo-2020 at Lucknow. The DTTC, Lucknow will follow the design-build-test-learn cycle for technology consultancy & handholding of the Deep-Tech Startups & industries. It will facilitate industries through establishing a centralised the technology infrastructure which will accelerate the product development and reduce the induction time & the turnaround time for the futuristic systems development through its six subcentres. This unique setup will act as a bridge for industries & startups to grasp the DRDO’s IPRs, Patents & ToTs. It will extend holistic handholding to Industries, Startups & Academia in UP DIC. It will promote the growth of industries & startups in UP DIC and Ease of Doing Business and contribute to building an Atmanirbhar Bharat.

On BRAHMOS-NG, Singh said, “the more advanced missile system, which has proven its firepower in land, water and air will greatly strengthen the modern combat capability of the Indian Army in the coming years.” He pointed out that the establishment of UP DIC has opened up new avenues for all-round technological progress of the state, besides providing employment opportunities for the youth of the region. “At the time of its inauguration, we had estimated an investment of 3,732 crore. Investment of more than 1,400 crore has already been received and the process is progressing rapidly,” he informed.

The BRAHMOS Manufacturing Centre will cover over 200 acres and produce the new BRAHMOS-NG variant

India has attained a respectable position in areas of defence technologies, including the development of state-of-the-art missile systems in the last few years and has made commendable progress in building its defence industrial base, Singh stated further. He applauded scientists of DRDO for their crucial role in increasing India’s military stature by strengthening the Armed Forces and achieving ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in the development and production of modern missile systems.

The BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile system is one of the most successful missile programmes in the world. India has undertaken jointly in partnership with its closest strategic ally Russia. As the world’s best and fastest precision-guided weapon, BRAHMOS has fortified India’s deterrence power in 21st century. The official statement further underlined, designed and developed by India-Russia JV entity BrahMos Aerospace, supersonic cruise missile BRAHMOS has continued to evolve as the most versatile weapon in its genre. To carry forward this excellent lineage, BrahMos Aerospace has initiated work on a new, more advanced variant of the missile - BRAHMOS-NG. This new missile, having smaller, lighter and smarter dimensions, would be designed for deployment on a wider number of modern military platforms, including land, sea, underwater and air. It promises hugely bolster Indian military’s modern combat capability and flexibility in the next few years.

The Minister expressed confidence that the foundation stone laying of the two units heralds a new chapter in the defence of the nation as well as defence manufacturing and the economy of the state of UP and the city of Lucknow.

UP Chief Minister Adityanath said, “The work had started in all six nodes of the UP DIC and that the foundation stone laying of the two units is a fulfilment of the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ in the defence sector. The units will provide avenues for employment for youth of the state. Adityanath highlighted UP’s potential for progress in the defence sector due to the large number of Medium, Small Scale and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state and assured all possible support of the state government to defence sector industries coming to the state.