The city can boast of the presence of yet another significant institution, a strategic unit to establish manufacturing, testing and storage facilities for advanced weapon systems of medium range surface-to-air missiles and quick reaction surface-to-air missiles.
To be set up by the Defence public sector undertaking Bharat Dynamics Limited on a sprawling 632 acres at Ibrahimpatnam, about 30 km from here, the unit is proposed to host an exclusive world class complex for manufacture and assembly of missiles in addition to integrating weapon systems. The BDL envisions the Ibrahimpatnam complex as its future weapon realisation and delivery unit and had so far spent ₹522 crore on the facility.
Union Defence Minister Arun Jaitley performed the ground-breaking ceremony on Sunday.
The facility had been designed under the guidance of the Defence Research and Development Organisation conforming to norms of the Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment. It is expected to meet the future needs of missile testing in line with the DRDO labs and could be offered to other vendors of propellant and other sub-systems for development and production as a national asset
Earlier, Mr. Jaitley inaugurated the Astra manufacturing facility at the BDL Bhanur unit near Sangareddy. The Astra weapon system is indigenously developed air-to-air beyond the visual range missile developed by the DRDO. It comprises Astra launcher and missile and is designed as a BVR missile with a range of 110 km in head-on mode and 20 km in tail-chase mode. The Union Minister inaugurated the 5 MW solar photovoltaic power project at the same facility designed to generate 8.5 million units of power every year.
He visited the Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI) here, another Defence public sector unit, and inspected the facilities there. “After returning from the units, I have developed a far greater sense of confidence in their capabilities,” the Minister said, appreciating the public sector units including Midhani, BDL, and BEL, for their role as integral part of the country’s missile programme and for making major headways in the area in recent years.