India's First Unmanned Aerial Systems Testing Hub To Be Set Up In Tamil Nadu

India's first Unmanned Aerial Systems (Drone) Common Testing Centre will be set up in Tamil Nadu.

The Centre will be established under the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS).

Spanning an area of approximately 2.3 acres, the testing centre will be set up at the SIPCOT Industrial Park, Vallam Vadagal near Sriperumbudur, according to a communication issued by the Tamil Nadu government, reports The Hindu.

The Centre will enable the state to play a crucial role in enhancing the country's self-reliance in the aerospace and defence sectors.

The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) has floated an Request for Proposal (RFP) for identifying industrial partners to set up the testing centre as a joint venture in compliance with the guidelines of the DTI scheme.

A consortium of companies including Keltron, Sense Image Technologies, Standards Testing & Compliance, and Avishka Retailers has been selected based on their response to the transparent bidding process to partner with TIDCO. The estimated cost for establishing the facility is Rs 45 crore.

TIDCO is the nodal agency for implementing the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor (TNDIC).

As part of the implementation of the TNDIC, the government of Tamil Nadu has adopted a multi-pronged strategy, on of which involves creating an enabling ecosystem that includes Common Testing Centres for the Aerospace and Defence Industry.

Currently, the lack of testing centres that meet aerospace and defence standards outside of DPSU/DRDO poses a barrier for many organisations.

TIDCO aims to address this by establishing testing centres for multiple sub-domains, including Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).

Currently, UAS testing is conducted component-wise at different centres, resulting in inefficiencies and increased costs for organisations.

An integrated facility like the one available with DRDO in Chitradurga, Karnataka, is needed to overcome these challenges.