Puttaparthy: Bharat Forge Limited, through its Aerospace business, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to establish India’s first private-sector Marine Gas Turbine (MGT) Repair, Overhaul and indigenous Development complex at Visakhapatnam, over an ~80 acres within the Andhra Pradesh Defence Manufacturing Corridor.
The MoU was signed by Guru Biswal, CEO — Aerospace, Bharat Forge Limited, in the distinguished presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh, at the landmark Aerospace and Defence Investment Conclave at Puttaparthy. The occasion also witnessed the foundation stone laying for India’s AMCA fifth-generation stealth fighter programme.
The Visakhapatnam facility co-located with the Naval Dockyard, INS Eksila, and Eastern Naval Command Headquarters, will for the first time bring this critical propulsion sustainment capability into India’s private sector.
Phase 1 will deliver a full Marine GT Repair and Overhaul complex: hot section restoration of blades, vanes and combustion liners, component manufacturing, NDE laboratory, and a 72-hour turnaround capability for the Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam.
Phase 2 will establish India’s first private-sector Marine GT Development and Assembly Hall, a full-spectrum hot test cell scalable across all propulsion ratings, and for the very first time on Indian soil, the development and qualification of an indigenous Marine Gas Turbine. The facility will also serve as a regional R&O hub for friendly nation navies, creating ~750 direct and indirect employment opportunities.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, commented, “These projects will cater to all three Services and strengthen our efforts to make India self-reliant in defence manufacturing. Andhra Pradesh is set to emerge as a major hub of aerospace and defence production.”
“New Andhra Pradesh is being built on the pillars of innovation, infrastructure and industrialisation. As India moves towards Viksit Bharat, Andhra Pradesh will lead from the front,” stated N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh.
“India’s warships have long carried the might of this nation on engines built abroad. That dependence ends here, at Visakhapatnam. Bharat Forge’s Aerospace division is committing to bringing Marine Gas Turbine repair, overhaul, and indigenous development onto Indian soil — for the first time in the private sector, co-located with the very Naval Command that depends on these engines. This is not just an investment. This is our pledge to the Indian Navy, and to the nation,” said Amit Kalyani, Vice Chairman and Joint Managing Director, Bharat Forge Limited.
Gas turbines are the propulsion backbone of the Indian Navy’s frontline surface combatants. The overseas supply chain for these engines has been severely disrupted in recent years, directly impacting fleet R&O cycles and operational readiness. This facility by Bharat Forge, is a national strategic imperative — embodying the resolve of Sushakt Bharat- Surakshit Bharat and laying a decisive cornerstone towards Viksit Bharat 2047.
