Defence Expo (DEFEXPO 2022) organized by the Ministry of Defence, Government of India was held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat from 18th to 22nd October 2022. DEFEXPO is an international exhibition to showcase the might of the domestic defence industry fueled by the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ resolve of the Government. The exhibition also hosted the 2nd edition of the India-Africa Defence Dialogue (IADD), with invites extended to 53 African countries.
One of the key contributors of the Make in India program is the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor(TNDIC). Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) which is the nodal agency for the development of the TNDIC, had curated a Tamil Nadu Pavillion together with 20 Aerospace and Defence industries of TN, in DefExpo -22 to and showcase the initiatives made by the state government towards the goal of self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector and the impact of these initiatives in the industrial development of the State .
TIDCO also organized a seminar to promulgate the initiatives made by the state through Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor (TNDIC) for strengthening the A&D sector of TN and attracting investments to the state. An insightful seminar and a thought-provoking panel discussion on ‘Tamil Nadu- the global hotspot for A&D manufacturing’ was organized by the TNDIC team, with eminent personalities from the government as well as industry present. Tmt. Jayashree Muralidharan, IAS, MD TIDCO, Dr. Apathukatha Sivathanu Pillai, CEO and MD, BrahMosAerospace, Dr. Mayilswamy Annadurai, Ex Director, ISRO, Thiru. B. Krishnamoorthy, IOFS, Additional Secretary/ Project Director, TIDCO represented the Government in the seminar and discussions. Industry leaders like Mr. William Blair (TBC), Vice President and Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin India Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Ramasamy Sundaram, Managing Director, Aerospace Engineers Private Limited, Mr. Srinath Ravichandran, Co-Founder & CEO, AgnikulCosmos, Mr. Azmathullah Mohammed, Senior Director, Dassault Systemes, graced the seminar. The seminar was moderated by Wg. Cdr. Madhusoodhanan, VP, A&D TIDCO.
The favorable business climate for companies in the state to exploit the opportunities in A & D domain was highlighted by Thiru. B. Krishnamoorthy, IOFS, Additional Secretary/ Project Director, TIDCO. Initiatives by the Tamil Nadu government and TIDCO to support and strengthen the A&D ecosystem through various initiatives and incentives were presented by Tmt. Jayashree Muralidharan, IAS, MD TIDCO during the seminar. The presence of the titans from government and industry also resulted in enhanced visibility of the Tamil Nadu pavilion and all our efforts to attract investments in the A&D sector
Six Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) were signed during the DefExpo 2022 between TIDCO and major defence PSU’s such as Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd (HAL), MIDHANI, AVNL, AWEIL, Munitions India Ltd (MIL), TCL and Forge Forward. Through this MoUs, TIDCO and these companies will strive to identify future business opportunities in the Tamil Nadu.
TNDIC is undertaking numerous initiatives for creating a conducive ecosystem for Aerospace and Defence manufacturing industries in order to energize and sustain the growth potential of this sector in the state. Aerospace & Defence has been identified as one of the sunrise sectors by the Government of TN and a major thrust sector for self-reliance and indigenization.
The participation in DEFEXPO will help Tamil Nadu to reach domestic and global A&D companies for attracting investment in the A&D industry and to achieve the goal of 1 trillion economy by 2030.
