Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid foundation for Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme facility at Puttaparthi in Sri Sathya Sai district of Andhra Pradesh along with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today.
Addressing the gathering, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Andhra Pradesh is emerging as a major pillar of India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India defence vision. He stated that the newly launched defence projects would strengthen national security, accelerate industrial growth and create large-scale employment opportunities for youth.
Mr. Singh said India could no longer depend on foreign countries during critical security situations and stressed that true national security must rest on self-reliance. He described indigenous defence manufacturing as the foundation of a strong and confident India under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
Highlighting the scale of transformation in India’s defence sector, Defence Minister said domestic defence production had increased from 46,000 crore rupees in 2014 to 1.54 lakh crore rupees now under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India programme. He added that defence exports had surged from 600 crore rupees in 2014 to nearly 40,000 crore rupees, reflecting India’s growing global manufacturing capabilities.
The Defence Minister said Puttaparthi was preparing to enter the league of world-class aerospace and defence manufacturing centres. He noted that highly advanced aircraft testing facilities existed only in a few places globally, and Andhra Pradesh is now positioning itself among them through indigenous defence production. He said the development marked a historic chapter in Andhra Pradesh’s history.
Calling drone technology a game changer, Mr. Singh said the eight drone companies coming up in Kurnool represented the true spirit of Make in India. He added that these projects would strengthen India’s technological capabilities while transforming Kurnool into a major drone manufacturing hub.
The Defence Minister praised the leadership of N. Chandrababu Naidu and said Andhra Pradesh was moving rapidly towards becoming “Advance Pradesh” through technology-driven industrial growth. The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme facility, being developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), will serve as the integration, development and flight testing hub for India’s indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft programme. Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu, State Ministers, public representatives and officials were present.
