Defence minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath yesterday inaugurated the supersonic BrahMos missile plant on the outskirts of Lucknow city.
The unveiling comes in the backdrop of the tension between India and Pakistan following the dastardly terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22.
Rajnath, who participated in the programme virtually from New Delhi, underlined that BRahMos ranked among the fastest supersonic cruise missiles in the world.
“BrahMos is not only a weapon, but a message about the strength of the Indian armed forces, deterrence against enemies, resistance capability and the pledge to safeguarding our borders,” he said.
He underlined the vision to develop Uttar Pradesh as a military ware manufacturer and exporter to bolster the defence self-reliance goal of India.
BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India and Russia’s NPOM to develop next generation supersonic missiles for both domestic and export markets.
Rajanth recalled the quote of former President and India’s missile man Dr A P J Abdul Kalam: “Unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us. In this world, fear has no place. Only strength respects strength.”
The Rs 300 crore plant was commissioned on the occasion of National Technology Day, which commemorates May 11, 1998, when India conducted successful nuclear tests under Operation Shakti at Pokhran, Rajasthan.
“India is among the most powerful nations in the world, and we continue to gain in strength. The BrahMos facility which is being commissioned today will further boost our capabilities,” he underlined.
Rajnath said the plant will catalyse India’s overarching vision of self-reliance in defence requirements.
He asserted that BrahMos exemplified a superior technology collaboration between India and Russia.
The UP government has provided about 200 acres of land virtually free for the prestigious BrahMos project.
Meanwhile, the defence minister also inaugurated another defence sector unit of Aerolloy Technologies Limited (ATL) – a subsidiary of Lucknow-based PTC Industries, specialising in titanium and superalloy components for aerospace and defense applications.
BrahMos Aerospace is part of the UP Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC), which spans six nodes viz. Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi, Chitrakoot, Aligarh and Agra.
The UP government is targetting investment of Rs 50,000 crore in the UPDIC.
So far, 57 Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) totalling almost Rs 30,000 crore have been signed with public and private investors.
The key investors in the UPDIC include Bharat Dynamics Limited, Adani Defence System and Technology, BrahMos Aerospace, Godrej, PTC, L&T etc.
The military ware to be manufactured include UAV, drones, small arms, parachute, small aircraft etc.
Rajnath said a gargantuan defence and military export market is waiting to be tapped by India’s growing defence industry.
India is targetting to double India’s Aerospace & Defence production to $25 billion and exports to $5 billion by 2025-26.
Meanwhile, Rajanth asserted the Indian army had decisively responded to dispense justice to the victims of terror in the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
“Operation Sindoor is not merely a military operation, but a testimony of the strong political, social and diplomatic will of India,” he added.
“We have shown that when India takes action against terrorism, the terrorists and their patrons have no safe harbour within Indian borders and beyong,” he said.
Operation Sindoor was launched by India to destroy the anti-India terror infrastructure in Pakistan without harming their ordinary citizens, he said while castigating Pakistan for targetting Indian citizens and places of worship.
“Indian army demonstrated both valour and restraint to pound terror infra not only along the borders but deep within Pakistan to as far as Rawalpindi where Pakistan army headquarters are based,” he said.
Rajnath underscored that India’s zero tolerance policy against terror, as espoused by the Narendra Modi government, reflected that the ‘New India’ will take forceful retort both inside and outside our territory.
Earlier, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath noted the BrahMos plant would ratchet up the ambitious ‘Make in India’ vision even as he lauded the success of Operation Sindoor.
“Terrorism cannot be curbed with mere soft words but tough action,” he observed.
DRDO secretary Samir V Kamat, BrahMos DG Jaiteerth Raghavendra Joshi apart from UP deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, and UP chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh were also present on the occasion.