A Historic Chapter in India’s Defence History - Rajnath Singh

Speaking after the foundation stone ceremony of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project by the Aeronautical Development Agency in Puttaparthi, Rajnath Singh described the initiative as a historic milestone in India’s defence history. He said the project would strengthen the nation’s indigenous defence capabilities and position Andhra Pradesh as a major centre for advanced defence manufacturing. Rajnath Singh praised N Chandrababu Naidu for his visionary leadership, stating that he had never seen another leader who thinks as deeply about technology and development. He added that Andhra Pradesh had evolved into an “Advanced Pradesh,” attracting global technology giants like Google and becoming a role model for the country.

The Defence Minister stated that the ₹15,000 crore AMCA project would establish aircraft integration and advanced flight testing facilities, placing India among a select group of nations with such capabilities. He highlighted that modern stealth fighter aircraft developed under the project would take off from Puttaparthi and strengthen India’s air power. Rajnath Singh also announced defence investments in drone manufacturing, autonomous underwater systems, torpedoes, advanced weapons, and electric fuse production across Andhra Pradesh. He said Kurnool would emerge as a global drone hub and emphasized that India was moving towards complete self-reliance in defence production. He noted that defence manufacturing had increased from ₹46,000 crore to ₹1.54 lakh crore in the last decade, while defence exports had grown from ₹600 crore to ₹40,000 crore.