CHENNAI: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday said the state has set a target of attracting Rs 75,000 crore in investments through the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor by 2032, as part of its plan to build a globally-competitive aerospace and defence manufacturing base.
Speaking at the inauguration of AeroDefCon 2025 — a three-day international aerospace and defence conference at the Chennai Trade Centre — Stalin said that so far, the state has attracted Rs 23,000 crore in investments under the Defence Corridor, with projects worth Rs 5,000 crore already under implementation.
In September, the state government signed MoUs with the Cochin Shipyard and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders to set up new shipbuilding facilities involving investments of about Rs 15,000 crore. The projects are expected to generate around 10,000 direct and 50,000 indirect jobs.
Industries Minister T R B Rajaa said the government plans to make AeroDefCon a biennial event, with the next edition scheduled for 2027. He added that the Tamilnadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO) will establish new testing, calibration and integration facilities and develop industrial parks to attract anchor investments.
B K Das, distinguished scientist and director general of electronics and communication systems (ECS) at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), said TN offered “tremendous opportunities” for collaboration in defence manufacturing.
“We have had discussions with ministers here, and DRDO is collaborating closely with the government of Tamil Nadu,” Das said. “In the aerospace sector, a major engine project is coming up, and some of the fifth-generation aircraft components will be manufactured in TN as part of the Defence Corridor.”
He added that DRDO had established a Young Scientist Laboratory in the state, where research is under way in cognitive systems, including cognitive radar and radio technologies.
Leading global and domestic players including Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Dassault Aviation, Rolls-Royce, Safran, Tata Advanced Systems, HAL, BEL and L&T Defence are exhibiting at the event. National institutions such as DRDO, ISRO, BDL and AVNL have also set up pavilions.
G D Naidu name for new Kovai flyover
Coimbatore: CM Stalin announced on Tuesday that the state’s longest flyover, the Avinashi Road Elevated Corridor in Coimbatore, will be named after legendary inventor and industrialist G D Naidu, fondly known as the ‘Edison of India’. The announcement has been widely welcomed by local industrialists, entrepreneurs and activists. Stalin is set to inaugurate the flyover on Thursday (October 9). Executed by the Special Projects Wing of the state highways department, the Avinashi Road flyover was built at a cost of Rs 1,791.22 crore.