Hyderabad: Several foreign OEMs such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, GE and Safran, as well as large domestic public sector and private sector companies have chosen Hyderabad for manufacturing and have enabled the creation of over 1,000 MSMEs and micro-enterprises. Highly skilled workforce has also been another major strength of the city’s ecosystem that is attracting industry.
Speaking at the MoU signing between VEM Technologies and Telangana government on Sunday for setting up an integrated defence systems facility in Zaheerabad, Telangana Industries minister KT Rama Rao said, “The facility will add value to the aerospace and defence ecosystem of the State. Hyderabad has been and will be the preferred aerospace and defence manufacturing destination.”
“As the city grows in the sector, there will be more aerospace and defence orders. DRDO chairman Dr Satheesh Reddy four years back said that almost Rs 1 lakh crore worth of orders will be coming to Hyderabad during the 2017-22 period, and it is happening. We will make sure that the State government will complement the efforts and policies of the Central government and work hand in hand in the development of aerospace and defence industry,” KTR added.
Highlighting the upcoming opportunities, Dr G Satheesh Reddy, DRDO chairman, said, “Indian government has opened up missile systems for the private sector. Several new missile orders have been placed and more orders will be placed shortly. This will benefit the industry in Hyderabad. Not just missiles, there is a lot of activity happening in the anti-drone space, where the ‘kill’ portion is done in the laboratories of private companies in Hyderabad. Anti-drone capabilities are also being built in the city.”
He added, “Telangana government has been very proactive and officials are just a call away. This industry-friendly approach is helping build a strong ecosystem for the aerospace and defence sector and make it flourish. DRDO will continue to engage with the companies in the city.”
Dr V K Saraswat, Niti Aayog member, said, as the Government of India is looking to privatise several defence systems, Hyderabad and companies such as VEM Technologies will stand to gain, giving scope for creation of India’s own Lockheed Martin in the city.