The largest ammunition factory in South Asia
Gautan Adani's mega-complex opens in Uttar Pradesh, supplying the Indian military with bullets and missiles. For General Manoj Pande, self-reliance is an essential goal in today's geopolitical context. Adani is working with Israeli firms making submachine guns and drones used in Gaza.
Kanpur (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Adani Defence & Aerospace is set to build South Asia’s largest complex to manufacture missiles and ammunition, the first by a private company, owned by Gautan Adani, an oligarch close to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The complex will include two state-of-the-art production facilities, which were inaugurated today in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, in the presence of the State’s Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath (a leading member of the Bharatiya Janata Party), the Chief of Staff of the Army Staff, General Manoj Pande, as well as other top military officials and politicians.
The Adani Group will invest more 30 billion rupees (around US$ 362 million), claiming that it will create more than 4,000 jobs.
The ammunition plant has already started rolling out small calibre ammunition, starting with 150 million rounds estimated at 25 per cent of India’s annual requirement.
Stressing the need for self-reliance in missiles and ammunition, General Pande said that recent geopolitical events have shown the need for a reliable supply of ammunition from domestic sources to prepare for a protracted conflict.
It is no coincidence that the official inauguration took place today, the fifth anniversary of Operation Bandar, when the Indian Air Force (IAF) hit Islamic terrorist training camps in Pakistan in the aftermath of an attack in Pulwama (India) that left 40 people dead.
India is the world's largest arms importer, but it is trying to boost its defence manufacturing industry.
Adani also has a drone production plant in cooperation with Israel's Elbit Systems in the southern Indian state of Telangana, where Hermes 900 drones are made for the armed forces of the two countries. Israel is using these weapons in its war on Gaza.
At another plant, Uzi submachine guns are also expected to be made in cooperation with Israel Weapon Industries.
The weapons that will be made in India will not only be for the Indian army. According to Ashish Rajvanshi, CEO, Adani Defence, India has set itself the goal of reaching US$ 5 billion in exports in the defence sector.
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02/02/2022 15:35
01/09/2020 15:49
