Engineering services provider Tata Technologies has signed an MoU with the Vidarbha Defence Industries Association (VDIA) to set up of a new aerospace and defence centre in Nagpur.

The centre will help establish Maharashtra as the preferred investment destination for aerospace and defence manufacturing, and promote indigenous and modernised technological capabilities.

It will also help in developing skilled resources to support micro, small & medium enterprises (MSMEs) to be globally competitive in the aerospace and defence sectors, Tata Technologies said in a statement. This will be done by setting up ‘Nirman’, a not-for-profit common facilitation centre for aerospace and defence, and ‘UDAN’, an initiative to create high-end skilling centres and provide competency-based education for engineering institutes and universities.

“Our objective is to create an aerospace and defence manufacturing hub in the Nagpur and Vidarbha region.

“Tata Technologies is well-positioned to provide the right impetus to this initiative by leveraging their domain expertise,” said Ravindra Thodge, Chairman of VDIA.

The MoU was signed at the Made in Vidarbha — Aerospace and Defence Summit held in Nagpur last week, in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.