Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday called for self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector, as it cannot afford to depend on other countries for national security.
Addressing the gathering after laying the foundation stone for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project and several strategic defence manufacturing units at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh’s Sri Satya Sai district, Singh said indigenous defence manufacturing projects would significantly strengthen India’s defence sector.
The facility, being established by the Aeronautical Development Agency under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), will comprise the Core Integration, Development and Flight-Testing Complex for India’s flagship indigenous fifth-generation fighter aircraft programme.
Describing the project as a historic milestone in the defence history of both Andhra Pradesh and the country, the Union defence minister said it would focus on the development of fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft.
Spread across nearly 650 acres in Puttaparthi with an estimated project cost of approximately ₹15,803 crore, the proposed complex will serve as a national hub for aircraft integration, validation, flight testing and certification activities. “Only a few countries in the world possess such flight-testing centres. India has now joined that league,” he said.
