Next-generation BrahMos missiles to be produced in Thiruvananthapuram’s Nettukaltheri, boosting India’s Defence exports

Thiruvananthapuram: Indications suggest that next-generation versions of the BrahMos missile will be manufactured at Nettukaltheri here. Following Operation Sindoor, the BrahMos missile has gained increased international relevance. Defence experts rank it among the world’s most advanced weapons.

Countries in South and Central Asia, as well as India’s friendly nations in Africa and North America, are showing keen interest in the BrahMos missile. A notable feature of the missile is that multiple units, each measuring 10 metres in length and weighing under 2,000 kilograms, can be mounted on a single combat aircraft. The Trivandrum sub-centre of BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL), an India-Russia joint venture, currently operates at Chacka here. It is responsible for the design of the missile’s container units and the manufacture of airborne launchers.

BrahMos aerospace to expand in Trivandrum

The Supreme Court on Tuesday approved the allocation of 180 acres of open prison land at Nettukaltheri, Thiruvananthapuram, for a BrahMos missile manufacturing unit. The decision came on an interim application filed by the Kerala government in a case concerning open prisons, before a bench led by Justice Vikram Nath. The government stated that granting land to BrahMos Aerospace Trivandrum Limited (BTAL) would directly contribute to national security and defence growth.

The court also approved proposals to allocate 45 acres to the Central Armed Police Force, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and 32 acres to the National Forensic Science University.

The government clarified, through Standing Counsel Nishe Rajan Shankar, that providing land for these projects will not affect prison operations. The National Forensic Science University will host cyber defence and forensic innovation centres, while the arrival of the SSB battalion will establish a permanent presence of the Central Armed Police Force in Kerala.