The facility, to be located in Tiruchirappalli, will be developed under the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS).
The MoU was exchanged on Monday in New Delhi between senior officials of the MoD and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO), in the presence of Shri Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production), Ministry of Defence, according to an official release.
Under the DTIS framework, the government will provide up to 75% of the project cost as grant-in-aid. The remaining 25% will be funded by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), comprising a consortium of Indian private and public sector entities, along with state and central government stakeholders.
Micro Labs, a private sector company, will serve as the lead member of the SPV for this facility. Other members include Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Ltd, Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML), Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), and Vaidheswaran Industries. The upcoming facility will feature advanced equipment to cater to testing needs in the mechanical and materials domain, providing services to both government and private defence manufacturers.
The initiative aligns with the broader national goal of strengthening indigenous defence production and reducing reliance on imported military equipment under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ vision. By offering essential testing support to manufacturers, the project aims to accelerate the pace and quality of defence production in the country.
The Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme, launched with an outlay of ₹400 crore by Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh, is designed to foster collaboration between the government and private sector in establishing cutting-edge testing facilities. Seven such facilities have been approved across the country—four in Tamil Nadu and three in Uttar Pradesh—within the two designated Defence Industrial Corridors.