Context:
The Defence Minister inaugurated a new supersonic cruise missile production unit in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
More on News:
- Built at a cost of ₹300 crore, the BrahMos manufacturing unit in Lucknow is spread across 80 hectares of land, provided free of cost by the Uttar Pradesh government.
- The facility will manufacture the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile, developed jointly by India and Russia, with a range of 290 to 400 kilometers and a top speed of Mach 2.8.
- The development of the defense ecosystem, including ancillary and sub-assemblies, around the complex will significantly boost industrialization and skill development for ITI students, supervisors, and engineers, reducing the need for migration in search of job opportunities.
- The project is a key component of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor, which was launched by Prime Minister during the UP Investors Summit in Lucknow on February 21, 2018.
- The corridor covers six strategically important nodes—Kanpur, Jhansi, Lucknow, Aligarh, Agra, and Chitrakoot and is overseen by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA).
- The six nodes of Uttar Pradesh’s defence corridor were strategically located near major expressways such as the Purvanchal Expressway and the Ganga Expressway, ensuring efficient transport and logistics.
- The Defence Minister and the Chief Minister also inaugurated the Titanium and Super Alloys Materials Plant, a strategic materials technology complex.
- Uttar Pradesh became the second state after Tamil Nadu to establish a Defence Industrial Corridor, launched in 2019.
- Both corridors play a vital role in advancing the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives, aimed at reducing defence imports, enhancing indigenous manufacturing, generating employment, and fostering the participation of private firms, MSMEs, and startups.
