CHENNAI: Four strategic defence testing facilities being developed in Tamil Nadu under the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS) are progressing as scheduled, with two projects ready for inauguration and the remaining two expected to be commissioned later this year, following a high-level review by senior officials of the Ministry of Defence.
Rear Admiral V Ganapathy, NM, Additional Director General of Quality Assurance (Warship Projects) and Chairman of the Project Monitoring Committee (PMC) for DTIS, along with Commander Rajesh Kumar Sahukari, Commander (QA) -DTIS, on Thursday reviewed the implementation of all four Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) with officials of the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), which is executing the projects.
The review focused on construction progress, commissioning timelines and the roadmap for operationalising the facilities being established with support from the Ministry of Defence under the Centre's Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives.
"The advanced testing facilities are in the final stages of development and will significantly enhance India's indigenous defence testing, certification and validation capabilities," TIDCO said in a statement.
According to TIDCO, the Defence Testing and Evaluation of Electronic Warfare Facility (DTEWF) and the Laboratory for Electro-Optics and Night Vision Systems (LENS), both located at AEROHUB in Vallam Vadagal, under Sriperumbudur taluk, have been completed and are ready for inauguration.
The Advanced Drone Applications Research and Testing (ADART) facility at Sriperumbudur, which will provide testing and certification for defence and civil unmanned aerial systems, is scheduled to be commissioned by December 2026. The Structural Testing, Research and Evaluation for Aerospace and Materials (STREAM) facility at Tiruchy, intended for structural, vibration, fatigue and material qualification testing for aerospace and defence applications, is expected to be completed by October 2026.
Officials said the review underscored the growing collaboration between the Ministry of Defence and the State government to strengthen the country's indigenous defence ecosystem while positioning the State as a major destination for aerospace, defence manufacturing and advanced testing infrastructure.