The country is set to begin production of an advanced version of the BrahMos missile at a newly established facility in Uttar Pradesh in a major boost to India’s Defence manufacturing capabilities. This production aligns with the broader goals of the “Make in India” and “Atma Nirbhar Bharat” initiatives and also marks an important step in Indo-Russian Defence cooperation. This development underscores India’s growing self-reliance in defence production with its cutting-edge technology, strategic investments, and large-scale job creation.
UP Emerges as a Hub for Advanced BrahMos Missile Production
India and Russia are working together to produce an advanced version of the BrahMos missile, and it will be manufactured at a new facility in Uttar Pradesh. This new BrahMos production unit, recently set up in UP, will handle large-scale manufacturing of these high-tech missiles, according to sources quoted by the Economic Times.
Russia has offered full technical support to co-develop the upgraded BrahMos in India. Early discussions between the two nations on this collaboration have already started.
The BrahMos missile is known for its incredible speed and precision as it can hit targets up to 300 kilometers away in just a few minutes. It’s capable of causing serious damage to key enemy infrastructure like runways. India has already developed several versions of the missile, including land-to-land, land-to-ship, and ship-to-land variants.
On May 10, the Indian Air Force used its SU-30 MKI fighter jets to launch BrahMos missiles, successfully hitting a command center at the Nur Khan airbase. The strike demonstrated the missile’s effectiveness in targeting terror infrastructure and deterring hostile actions from Pakistan.
The new BrahMos Aerospace facility in Lucknow was built on 80 hectares of land provided free by the state government. The total investment for this project is ₹300 crore. The site includes a main production unit and seven support units.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath officially opened the facility on May 11. During the launch, the UP CM praised the BrahMos missile, referencing its success in “Operation Sindoor.” He remarked, “If you haven’t seen what BrahMos can do, ask the people of Pakistan—they’ve witnessed its power.”
Back in 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the creation of two Defence Industrial Corridors to boost local defence production—one in Uttar Pradesh and the other in Tamil Nadu.
These corridors are part of the larger ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives, which aim to reduce dependence on foreign defence imports and strengthen India’s domestic manufacturing capabilities.
So far, 57 companies have been allotted land in the UP Defence Corridor, and their factories are in various stages of development. These projects represent a total investment of ₹9,462.8 crore and are expected to create over 13,700 direct jobs.
Since the first land lease was signed in June 2021, the corridor has made impressive progress, with all 57 companies setting up their facilities within just four years.
