New Delhi: In a significant step towards enhancing indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a state-of-the-art testing facility in the Mechanical & Material domain at the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor (TNDIC), Tiruchirappalli. The facility will be developed under the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS).
The MoU has been exchanged on Monday in New Delhi between senior officials of the MoD and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO), in the presence of Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar.
The Mechanical & Material domain testing facility will be developed through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) led by Micro Labs, with consortium members including TIDCO, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and Vaidheswaran Industries.
DTIS provides up to 75 percent of the project cost as government ‘Grant-in-Aid’, while the remaining 25 percent is to be borne by the SPV comprising private and state entities. Once operational, the testing facility will offer advanced equipment and services to both government and private players in the defence sector, strengthening India’s efforts towards ‘Aatmanirbharta’ (self-reliance) in defence production.
The Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme, launched by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with a total outlay of Rs 400 crore, aims to reduce reliance on imported military equipment by promoting domestic testing capabilities. Under this initiative, seven high-end testing facilities have been approved—four in Tamil Nadu and three in Uttar Pradesh—positioning India’s defence industrial corridors as key enablers of the nation's aerospace and defence ambitions.
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