To strengthen the state’s role in India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem, industry leaders, DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) and the Tamil Nadu government have outlined a roadmap, focusing on technology sovereignty, indigenous capability development, digital transformation and collaboration across industry, MSMEs, start-ups and academia, at the CII TN Defence X conclave 2026, Chennai.
The event highlighted the state’s growing prominence in the sector, backed by the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor, supportive policy initiatives and a robust engineering and manufacturing base.
Addressing the event, Dr B K Das, Director-General – (ECS), DRDO, Government of India, said that “warfare is becoming increasingly technology-driven and the resilient supply chain and home-grown innovation will be key to India’s defence preparedness.”
“India’s defence production has surpassed Rs 1.5 lakh crore, with exports nearing Rs 38,000 crore,” Rajesh Mittal said, highlighting Tamil Nadu’s potential to become a leading aerospace and defence manufacturing hub. According to industry leaders, the Tamil Nadu Aerospace and Defence Industry Policy 2022 and the Tamil Nadu Space Industry Policy 2025 together aim to attract investments exceeding Rs 85,000 crore, while the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor has already drawn investments of over Rs 23,000 crore.
Adding on to that, Gowri Kailasam, Vice-Chairperson, CII Chennai Zone and Executive Director, Rane Madras Limited, said that “Chennai’s engineering ecosystem and Defence Industrial Corridor provided the state with a strong foundation to become one of the nation’s leading centres for defence manufacturing and innovation.”
Dr D Karthikeyan, IAS, Chairman and Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), Government of Tamil Nadu, in the conclave mentioned that TIDCO’s partnerships with Siemens, GE and Bosch were creating advanced facilities that support MSMEs, students and academic institutions through testing, skilling and innovation.
The discussion also highlighted Tamil Nadu’s plans to strengthen its defence and aerospace ecosystem through continued investments, strategic partnerships and infrastructure development. A new testing facility near Thoothukudi will be established under an MoU between TIDCO and IN-SPACe.