On May 15, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu laid the foundation stones for a series of strategic aerospace and defense projects in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
These include a Core Integration and Flight Test Center at Puttaparthi to accelerate the development of fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and other future indigenous platforms, and the Naval Systems Manufacturing Plant at T Sirasapalli village near Visakhapatnam to meet the Indian Defense Forces’ requirements for advanced underwater weapons and naval combat systems.
Besides, five drone manufacturing and technology companies to be established at Drone City in Orvakal were virtually inaugurated.
According to Singh, Andhra Pradesh is poised to become a major hub for aerospace and defense production.
Andhra Pradesh has joined Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh in setting up defense production corridors, with preferential tax and excise rates intended to incentivize public and private companies to set up research, development and production units in their tax jurisdictions.
With the AMCA project, Puttaparthi will become a strategic defense center of national importance. Naidu noted that the project aligns with India’s efforts to modernize and strengthen defense capabilities and highlighted the centers. He also said that the drones used in Operation Sindoor were manufactured and tested in Andhra Pradesh, demonstrating the state’s defense potential.
On May 19, Pune-headquartered Bharat Forge signed a memorandum of understanding with the Andhra Pradesh government to establish India’s first private sector Marine Gas Turbine Facility (MGTF) at Visakhapatnam. The proposed facility, to be developed by the Bharat Forge Aerospace division within the Andhra Pradesh Defense Manufacturing Corridor, will strengthen India’s naval propulsion ecosystem and support the country’s long-term defense self-reliance goals. The facility will include advanced repair and overhaul capabilities, indigenous marine gas turbine development infrastructure and a full-spectrum testing ecosystem, while also generating approximately 750 direct and indirect jobs.
At the Puttaparthi event, Naidu drew attention to the emerging strategic ecosystem of Andhra Pradesh, which includes Sriharikota as a space hub, Nagayalanka for missile capabilities, Puttaparthi for defense force and Visakhapatnam as a naval hub. Together, these would transform Andhra Pradesh into a defensive shield for the nation.
The Visakhapatnam Naval Systems Manufacturing Plant, which is co-located with the Naval Shipyard, INS Eksila and the Eastern Naval Command Headquarters, will bring critical propulsion sustainment capability to the Indian private sector for the first time.
Phase 1 will provide a comprehensive marine gas turbine repair and overhaul complex; hot restoration of blades, vanes and combustion liners; component manufacturing; NDE laboratory and 72 hour turnaround capability for Visakhapatnam Shipyard.
Phase 2 will establish India’s first private sector marine gas turbine development and assembly hall, a scalable full-spectrum hot test cell for all propulsion powers and, for the first time ever on Indian soil, the development and qualification of an indigenous marine gas turbine. The facility will also serve as a regional hub for friendly navies, creating 750 direct and indirect jobs.
These projects will cut across all three services and strengthen efforts to make India self-reliant in defense manufacturing. Indian warships are traditionally powered by foreign-built engines. This dependence ends in Visakhapatnam.
Bharat Forge’s aerospace division is committed to bringing the development, repair, overhaul and local development of marine gas turbines to Indian soil for the first time in the private sector, co-located with the Naval Command under it.
Gas turbines form the backbone of propulsion for the Indian Navy’s frontline fighters. The overall supply chain for these engines has been severely disrupted in recent years, directly impacting fleet R&O cycles and operational readiness. This Bharat Forge facility constitutes a national strategic imperative, laying a decisive cornerstone towards India’s goal of a developed India by 2047.