Uttar Pradesh is on its way to becoming a defence production hub as BrahMos Aerospace will produce 80 to 100 new BrahMos missiles every year at their Lucknow facility starting mid-2024.
According to BrahMos Aerospace CEO and MD Atul D Rane, construction work is in full swing in Lucknow.
“Production of the current version of BrahMos can start once the facility is set up. Assuming all things are smooth in the set-up and professional attestation of the facility, the first BrahMos of the current version can be rolled out by mid 2024,” he said
The BrahMos missile was the center of attraction in the exhibition at the groundbreaking ceremony. The prestigious BrahMos missile autonomous launcher is displayed at one of the 110 stalls in the exhibition at the venue of the third ground breaking ceremony held in the state capital on Friday.
Rane said that the feasibility study of the missile was nearing completion and once these preliminary studies were over, a detailed design of the system would start. He said if things went on smoothly, the joint venture of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) India and NPOM of Russia planned to finish detailed designing within two years followed by system trials.
The timeline to roll out the future generation of missiles (BrahMos-NG) will be 5-7 years from now. This new manufacturing hub will empower the missile industry consortium in the country and will help to create an ecosystem for futuristic weapons and technology within the state and the country.
BrahMos Aerospace has planned to deliver 80-100 missiles a year from the Lucknow facility. “The numbers are highly dependent on the orders we receive,” Rane said.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation is establishing a BrahMos manufacturing centre in the Uttar Pradesh state capital. Spread in an area of 200 acres, BrahMos Aerospace will manufacture the world's best supersonic cruise missile system designated as BrahMos-NG that can be launched from submarine, ship, aircraft or land.
The manufacturing centre will be a modern, state-of-art facility. The foundation stone for the centre, along with that for the Defence Technology and Test Centre (DTTC), was laid by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on December 26, 2021.
The BrahMos-NG is smaller, lighter and has smarter dimensions and is being designed for deployment on a wider number of modern military platforms. It will hugely bolster the Indian military’s modern combat capability and flexibility during the next few years.
The project will provide direct employment to about 500 engineers and technicians. Apart from this, 5,000 people will get indirect employment. With the establishment of ancillary units related to the defence industry, about 10,000 people will get employment.