India’s first integrated test centre for UAS to come up in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu will be home to India’s first integrated test centre for Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) with the facility set to be established at a state-owned industrial park near Sriperumbudur at a cost of Rs 45 crores. 

The test centre under the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS) of the Union Government will come up at an area of about 2.3 acres at the SIPCOT industrial park in Vallam Vadagal in Kanchipuram district. Tamil Nadu government officials said the new facility will help the state to emerge as a significant contributor to the country’s self-reliance in the aerospace and defence sector.  

A consortium of companies consisting of Keltron, Sense Image Technologies, Standards Testing & Compliance and Avishka Retailers had been chosen for establishing the facility by partnering with Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO). 

Since UAS (drone) testing is currently done component wise at different test centres reduces the efficiencies of the organisations and increasing the cost, TIDCO, which is the nodal agency for the implementation of the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor (TNDIC), came up with an idea to set up an integrated testing facility in the state. 

Such an integrated facility is available only with DRDO at Chitradurga, Karnataka, for testing of its own vehicles. 

TIDCO had floated an RFP for identifying industrial partners for establishing this test centre as a joint venture in compliance to the guidelines of the DTI scheme. 

“We are attracting investors in this sector by addressing the needs of the industry in an innovative manner. This testing centre will enable Tamil Nadu to become a preferred destination for aerospace and defence companies to set up their Indian operations,” Industries Minister T R B Raaja said. 

Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS) was formulated to provide defence industry easy access to testing facilities. 

Besides garnering investments in the Defence and aerospace sector, the state government is developing an aerospace park in Sriperumbudur near Chennai for making the state a major hub for manufacturing components for the aerospace industry. Officials said 14 plots have so far been allocated to aerospace industries of which two firms have launched production. 

In 2021, Tamil Nadu-based Aerospace Engineers Private Limited won a long-term contract from Boeing, world’s largest commercial and defence aircraft manufacturer, to produce and supply critical aviation components and parts.

The company is investing Rs 150 crore for setting up the new factory at Hosur, the industrial city located just outside Bengaluru, and expanding its existing Salem facility.