Telangana plans to set up two new aerospace parks

The State also has plans for an aerospace university in partnership with the industry, he said, adding that it was open for collaborations with ecosystem partners.

Hyderabad: Telangana will set up two new aerospace parks. One of them will be in Eliminedu near Ibrahimpatnam. The location for the second proposed park is yet to be finalised, according to Praveen PA, Director, Telangana Aviation and Defence.

While Hyderabad is already home to GMR MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul) and Air India MRO, Safran recently announced to invest about Rs 1,500 crore in setting its MRO facility, the largest in its group, here. Safran is likely to increase the investment further, he said. Two more players were in talks with the State.

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“Hyderabad is evolving into a hub of MROs. The current ecosystem is on the civil aviation side and there is a lot of untapped potential in the defence segment,” said Praveen while speaking at the CII Telangana Defence Conclave with the theme `Aatmanirbharta in Defence Manufacturing- Modernisation through Indigenisation’ Thursday in Hyderabad.

Drone Testing Corridor

Elaborating the efforts being taken up by the Telangana Government to nurture the aerospace and defence ecosystem, he said a drone testing corridor too was on the cards. The proposed drone testing corridor will help in evolving new use cases of drones and testing them.

The State also has plans for an aerospace university in partnership with the industry, he said, adding that it was open for collaborations with ecosystem partners.

“Defence is an OEM driven sector and technology leader defines the manufacturing and certification processes as they pertain to national security. There are significant entry barriers. However, sustainable growth is possible with strong research and development and good products. The Telangana Government is implementing several skill development initiatives to ensure quality manpower is available locally. Several Centres of Excellence have established their training facility in Hyderabad,” he said.

Col Jaspreet Singh, Col- ADB (Industries), Army Design Bureau, Indian Army, said Make in India also meant make with the world and there was a need to get critical technologies into the country. Now, there was an institutionalised interface between the Army and the industry.

From being one of the major importers, India was transforming into a military equipment exporter, he said, adding that the Army Design Bureau engages with industry and academic institutions on development of niche technologies for use by Indian Army Soldiers. The products need to be tested in real environments. This year alone 60 trials were conducted by the Army Design Bureau.

Dr Y Sreenivas Rao, Outstanding Scientist and Director NSTL – DRDO, Dr Subba Rao Pavuluri, Convenor, CII Telangana Defence and Aerospace Panel, C Shekar Reddy, Vice Chairman, CII Telangana , also spoke.