The foundation stone for the manufacturing center of India’s first 5th generation stealth fighter AMCA was laid in Andhra Pradesh. Besides, the foundation stone of many projects for making naval systems, ammunition and drones was also laid. The aim of these projects is to increase self-reliance in defence.
New Delhi: India took a step towards a major success on Thursday. The foundation stone of a center has been laid in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, where the country’s first fifth generation stealth fighter aircraft will be manufactured. The name of this aircraft is Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). On this occasion, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was present. Together they laid the foundation stone of many big projects related to making fighter jets, naval systems, ammunition and drones.
What is the AMCA program?
It will cost around Rs 2,000 crore to build this center being built in Puttaparthi. This entire program is worth around Rs 15,000 crore. This center will be run by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), an organization associated with DRDO. AMCA will be a twin-engine, multirole combat aircraft. Its direct competition will be with aircraft like America’s F-35, Russia’s Su-57 and China’s J-20. At present India does not have any fifth generation aircraft. The most capable jet made in the country is ‘Tejas’, which is a fourth generation platform and was inducted into the army in 2016. The Cabinet Committee on Security had approved the AMCA program in March 2024. The goal is to get operational clearance by the early 2030s.
Naval and Maritime Systems
The foundation stone of another project was laid at T.Siraspalli in Anakapalle district. Navy related systems will be built here. Government company Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) is building this plant at a cost of Rs 480 crore. Autonomous underwater vehicles (driverless submarines), underwater countermeasure systems and next generation torpedoes will be built here. These are such systems which till now India has been purchasing on a large scale from other countries.
Ammunition and Energetics
Two more projects were inaugurated in Madaksira. Bharat Forge’s subsidiary, Agneyastra Energetics Limited, will invest Rs 1,500 crore in a defense energetics facility. At the same time, HFCL Limited will invest about Rs 1,200 crore in the ammunition and electric fuse manufacturing plant. Electric fuses are very important components used in cannonballs, bombs and missiles, for which India has till now been dependent on foreign countries.
drone manufacturing
Additionally, a consortium of eight drone companies also signed an agreement to set up a manufacturing cluster in Kurnool. An official said, “This step is part of the government’s broader efforts to promote the drone industry in the country. This priority has increased further in view of the role of cheap drones in recent wars.”
What is the bigger meaning of this?
Rajnath Singh said that in 2014, defense production in the country was Rs 46,000 crore, which has increased to about Rs 1.54 lakh crore today. At the same time, defense exports have increased from Rs 600 crore to about Rs 40,000 crore. India has historically been one of the world’s largest arms buyers. The government has made many reforms to reduce this dependence. For example, a positive indigenization list has been created, under which import of many things is banned. Also, the FDI limit in defense production has also been increased. Apart from these, many more companies have also signed MoUs with the Andhra Pradesh government to set up defense units in the state.