Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 10 (ANI): Lucknow will mark a historic milestone in India's defence journey on Sunday with the inauguration of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile production unit, part of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (joining virtually from Delhi) and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will inaugurate the facility on Sunday in Lucknow, underscoring India's push for self-reliance in defence and a major boost to UP's industrial growth. It signals a powerful stride toward strengthening India's indigenous defence manufacturing capacity.

The two leaders will also inaugurate the Titanium and Super Alloys Materials Plant (Strategic Materials Technology Complex).

This plant will produce high-quality materials for the aerospace and defence sectors, which will be used in missions like Chandrayaan and in fighter jets. Along with this, the BrahMos Aerospace Integration and Testing Facility will also be launched. This facility will play a key role in testing and assembling missiles, a release said.

UP Defence Industrial Corridor, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, has been a top priority for the Yogi government. There are six nodes in this corridor--Lucknow, Kanpur, Aligarh, Agra, Jhansi, and Chitrakoot--where major investments are being made to boost defence manufacturing.

In addition to the BrahMos unit, the foundation stone for a Defence Testing Infrastructure System (DTIS) will also be laid at the Lucknow node. This system will help in testing and certifying defence products.

Short films will be shown during the inauguration ceremony, highlighting BrahMos Aerospace, Aero Alloy Technology, and the Defence Corridor. DRDO Secretary Dr. Sameer V. Kamat will deliver the welcome speech, while Sachin Agarwal, Chairman of PTC Industries, will talk about the company's contribution.

Built at a cost of Rs 300 crore, the BrahMos production unit in Lucknow stands on 80 hectares of land provided free of cost by the Yogi government, the release said. Completed in three-and-a-half years, the facility will manufacture the world's fastest supersonic cruise missile--a joint India-Russia project with a range of 290 to 400 km and a top speed of Mach 2.8.

The BrahMos can be launched from land, sea, or air and uses a 'fire and forget' system, making it highly precise and difficult to intercept.

Uttar Pradesh is the second state after Tamil Nadu to establish a Defence Industrial Corridor. Both corridors are key to the 'Make in India' and 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' initiatives, aimed at reducing defence imports, boosting indigenous production, generating employment, and encouraging participation from private firms, MSMEs, and startups.

The six nodes in Uttar Pradesh's corridor--Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi, Aligarh, Agra, and Chitrakoot--are located near major expressways like the Purvanchal Expressway and Ganga Expressway. This ensures smooth transport and logistics. The corridor is being developed under the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA).

Its strategic location offers excellent logistics for transporting raw materials, finished products, and exports. This strengthens India's defence self-reliance and supports its role in the global supply chain. (ANI)