The BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Limited (BATL), a key defence manufacturing unit in Kerala, will be taken over by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), according to Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar. This move follows the Union Government's assurance and comes amid concerns and reports about the potential closure of the center, which Chandrasekhar has dismissed as unfounded.

Currently, BATL operates as a joint venture between the Government of India and the Russian government, and is a critical part of India’s defence production ecosystem, manufacturing complex components for BrahMos missiles and supporting projects for DRDO, ISRO, and BARC. The transition will see BATL come directly under DRDO control, ending its status as a joint venture with a foreign partner. This change is expected to:

Absorb existing employees into the Ministry of Defence and DRDO, ensuring job security and integrating them into the Government of India framework.

Align BATL with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) mission, allowing the center to fully realise its operational and strategic potential, which was previously limited by its joint venture structure.

Safeguard the interests of employees, with Chandrasekhar explicitly stating that fears of job losses are baseless and were the result of misinformation spread by certain trade unions.

The move addresses previous administrative challenges: since DRDO is primarily a research and development organization, it previously faced difficulties in directly taking over BATL, which led to its management under the Indo-Russian joint venture BAPL. Now, with the delinking from BAPL, BATL will be fully integrated under DRDO’s management, a step that the Ministry of Defence has confirmed to Chandrasekhar.

BATL has been a profitable and strategic asset, generating significant profits and executing advanced manufacturing for missile systems. Its direct integration into DRDO is expected to enhance its contribution to national defence and the government’s self-reliance goals.

The BrahMos Center in Thiruvananthapuram is not being shut down; rather, it will be strengthened through direct DRDO oversight, with continued employment for its workforce and a reinforced role in India’s strategic defence initiatives.

Agencies