Not just nuts and bolts but BrahMos supersonic missiles, drones and electronic warfare systems will be manufactured at the UP Defence Industrial Corridor, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday.

At a defence dialogue on Atmanirbhar Bharat in Lucknow, Singh said the work is going on in mission mode at the defence Corridor, and 95 percent of the around 1,700 hectares of land has been acquired till date. Of these, 36 industries and institutions have been allotted nearly 600 hectares of land, he stated. As many as 109 MoUs have been signed, with an estimated investment value of more than ₹16,000 crore. So far, a total investment of about ₹2,500 crore has been made in the corridor by various entities.

“What is important is that in the UP defence corridor, not only nuts and bolts or spare parts will be manufactured, (but) drones, UAVs, electronic warfare (systems), aircraft and BrahMos missiles will also be manufactured and assembled,” Singh said.

To cross ₹20,000 cr mark

The Minister exuded confidence that the defence exports will soon cross ₹20,000 crore mark, up from nearly ₹16,000 crore figure clocked in Financial Year 2022-23. “We are moving ahead at an unprecedented pace to achieve the Prime Minister’s vision of making India a developed nation by 2047. The aim is to build an economically powerful and completely self-reliant India, which is also a net defence exporter,” he added.

Self-reliance is not an option but a necessity, Singh stated as India is facing a double threat on its borders, along with new dimensions of warfare that are emerging in today’s fast-changing world. “Most of the weapons today are electronic-based systems, which can reveal sensitive information to the adversaries. As imported equipment has certain limitations, we need to go beyond the horizon and achieve self-reliance in niche technologies. Latest weapons/equipment are equally important as the bravery of our soldiers. If India wishes to become a military power at the global level, there is no other option than being self-reliant in defence manufacturing,” Singh said.

Chief Nodal Officer for UP Defence Industrial Corridor, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria (Retd), officers of the Armed Forces and DRDO and representatives of the industry and academia were present on the occasion.