BERHAMPUR: The groundbreaking ceremony for the `100-crore defence manufacturing industry was held at the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of Tata Steel at Gopalpur in Ganjam district on Wednesday.
To come up under the ‘Make in India’ programme, the industry is being set up by Sure Safety Solutions (SSS), a Mumbai-based firm, in collaboration with Meggitt Defence Systems Limited, UK-based international aerospace, defence and performance sensors group. The groundbreaking ceremony was done in the presence of Industries Minister Debi Prasad Mishra.
SSS has an agreement with Meggitt for the engineering of extreme environment components and smart sub-systems for aerospace, defence and energy markets. The firm has been provided land for the state-of-the-art facility for manufacturing of aerial target systems in the Special Economic Zone.
Sources said SSS is expected to invest `60 crore in the unit, which will be built over an area of five acres. Initially to be established as a manufacturing unit for unmanned aerial targets, the industry will also deliver the Meggitt’s orders from the Indian Armed Forces for aerial targets. The SSS is expected to produce quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles used for surveillance and exploration from this plant.
Higher Education Minister Pradeep Panigrahy, Berhampur MLA Ramesh Chandra Chaupatnaik and Commandant of Army Air Defence College Lt General K Saighal were also present.