Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone for Defence Technology & Test Centre 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 Shri Yogi Adityanath. A first-of-its-kind Defence Technologies & Test Centre (DTTC), over approximately 22 acres is being set up 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 & Start-Up Incubation Centre

Design & Simulation Centre

Testing & Evaluation Centre

Centre for Industry 4.0/Digital Manufacturing

Skill Development Centre

Business Development Centre

The BrahMos Manufacturing Centre, announced by BrahMos Aerospace, is a modern, state-of-art 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. This new centre would be ready over the next two to three years and will commence production at a rate of 80-100 BrahMos-NG missiles per year.

Congratulating the scientists and engineers of DRDO & BrahMos Aerospace, Shri Rajnath 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. He said, the state-of-the-art facilities will prove to be an important milestone in the defence sector. He added that the establishment of these units will generate revenue; provide employment opportunities to the youth and help in achieving ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ envisioned by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He said that the message of Make in India, Make for India and Make for World has been sent out globally.

On the 'Defence Technology and Test Centre', the Raksha Mantri said, the Centre will provide the technological base to develop defence products keeping in mind the young innovators and start-ups in Amausi region of Uttar Pradesh. He added that the Centre will make all endeavours to fulfil the creative energy, capabilities and aspirations of the youth of Uttar Pradesh. It will help in bringing the MSMEs of Uttar Pradesh together and bring the state at the forefront in the field of defence and aerospace manufacturing, he said. He added that the Centre, through skill development, will create direct and indirect employment in the field of defence and aerospace manufacturing.

Recalling India’s history, Shri Rajnath Singh said “we have never been an aggressor, but are ready to defend our people against any nation with hostile intentions”. He added that the purpose of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system is to act as a deterrent. He said, 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.

The Raksha Mantri added that BrahMos has empowered the Armed Forces and raised India's military stature at the international level. On BrahMos-NG, he 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 appreciated 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 Rs 3,732 crore. Investment of more than Rs 1,400 crore has already been received and the process is progressing rapidly,” he informed.

Shri Rajnath Singh stated that 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. He applauded scientists of DRDO for their crucial role in increasing India’s military stature by strengthening the Armed Forces and achieving ‘Atmanirbharta’ in the development and production of modern missile systems. Shri Rajnath Singh ended his address by calling on all in attendance to resolve to raise the State of Uttar Pradesh to new heights.

The Rajnath Singh 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 Uttar Pradesh and the city of Lucknow. He applauded the state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath for taking various initiatives for improving infrastructure and the welfare & progress of people from all sections of society.

Speaking on the occasion, UP Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath thanked Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh for the initiatives of Ministry of Defence such as UP DIC, DefExpo-2020 and the establishment of a unt of Bharat Dynamics Limited in Jhansi. He 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 Chief Minister added that the units will provide avenues for employment for youth of the state and expressed confidence that the units will make a significant contribution to the progress of the state as also the nation. Shri Yogi Adityanath highlighted Uttar Pradesh’s potential for progress in the defence sector due to the large number of Medium, Small Scale and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state. He assured all possible support of the state government to defence sector industries coming to the state.

In his opening address, Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy thanked the Raksha Mantri for making land available for the DTTC in Lucknow. He expressed gratitude to UP Chief Minister for providing 200 acres of land for the BrahMos manufacturing centre. He assured all support from DRDO to the industries coming up in the region.

The state-of-the-art Defence Technologies & Test 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 in presence of the Raksha Mantri and the UP Chief Minister. The DTTC, Lucknow will follow the design-build-test-learn cycle for technology consultancy & handholding of the Deep-Tech Start-ups & industries.

It will facilitate industries through establishing a centralized state of the art technology infrastructure which will accelerate the product development and reduce the induction time & the turnaround time for the futuristic systems development through its 6 subcentres. This unique setup will act as a bridge for Industries & Start-ups to grasp the DRDO’s IPRs, Patents & ToTs. It will extend holistic handholding to Industries, Start-ups & Academia in UP DIC. It will promote the growth of Industries & Start-ups in UPDIC and Ease of Doing Business and contribute to building an Atmanirbhar Bharat.

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. 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 will hugely bolster Indian military’s modern combat capability and flexibility in the next few years.