BrahMos: Why separating Thiruvananthapuram hub will be a mistake, explains former DG

Thiruvananthapuram: The Thiruvananthapuram unit is the strategic centre of BrahMos missile production, a matter of national pride, said former BrahMos Aerospace Director General (DG) Atul Rane.

The missile’s airborne launcher and the missile integration unit are located in Thiruvananthapuram. Moreover, the city is envisaged as the main centre for manufacturing the next-generation, smaller BrahMos missiles. Separating such an important research establishment from its parent organisation, BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL), would not be beneficial, Atul Rane told Mathrubhumi.

A former student of Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram, Atul Rane was in the city to receive the Global Leadership Award presented by the Loyola Old Students Association.

Following Operation Sindoor, the BrahMos missile has gained increased international relevance. The design and manufacture of the missile’s outer casing, the container unit, are also carried out here. The Small Turbine Fan Engine (STFE), which requires years of specialised expertise and major investment to establish, has also been set up in Thiruvananthapuram.

A lighter and more powerful version of the BrahMos is expected to achieve trial success soon. All these factors, he said, underline Thiruvananthapuram’s pivotal role in the missile’s development and the need for greater investment here.

In July, the Union Ministry of Defence decided to separate the Thiruvananthapuram BrahMos unit—currently a subsidiary of BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL), the Indo-Russian joint venture—from its parent company.

In 2007, when A K Antony was Defence Minister, the Defence Ministry acquired the state-run Keltron unit KELTEC (Kerala Hi-Tech Industries Limited) for one rupee and transferred it to BAPL. Over various phases, the Centre has invested around ₹300 crore here. Besides BrahMos, components and machinery for ISRO, BARC, GTRE and the Kalpakkam nuclear facility are also manufactured here.

Atul Rane is the son of Dr Dinkar Rane, a native of Maharashtra who worked with Vikram Sarabhai when ISRO established its space research facilities in Thumba. After completing his schooling and college education in Thiruvananthapuram, Atul Rane pursued engineering in Chennai before joining DRDO as a scientist.