Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has virtually inaugurated a new BrahMos supersonic cruise missile production unit in Lucknow on Sunday. The facility, part of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor, represents a significant milestone in bolstering India's indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities.

Constructed at a cost of ₹300 crore, the production unit is designed to manufacture between 80 and 100 BrahMos missiles annually. Developed by BrahMos Aerospace—a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya—the BrahMos missile is a precision-strike weapon with a range of 290 to 400 km and capable of flying at speeds up to Mach 2.8.

In addition to the current version, the unit will also produce 100 to 150 next-generation BrahMos missiles each year. The upgraded variant will be significantly lighter, weighing 1,290 kg compared to the original 2,900 kg, and will feature an extended strike range exceeding 300 km. This reduction in weight will enable platforms like the Sukhoi fighter jet, which currently carries one missile, to be equipped with up to three of the new versions.

The inauguration also marks the opening of the BrahMos Aerospace Integration and Testing Facility in Lucknow. This facility will oversee assembly and quality testing processes, playing a crucial role in ensuring reliability and operational excellence.

The BrahMos facility has been constructed over 80 hectares of land provided free of cost by the Uttar Pradesh government, with construction completed in just three and a half years. The new site is a cornerstone of the Defence Industrial Corridor initiative, first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2018 Global Investors' Summit.

The Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor spans six nodes—Lucknow, Kanpur, Aligarh, Agra, Jhansi, and Chitrakoot—and is aimed at attracting substantial investment in defence production. Uttar Pradesh is the second state, after Tamil Nadu, to establish such a corridor, reinforcing its emerging role in the nation's security and strategic manufacturing landscape.