Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh: In a significant move to strengthen India’s strategic defence capabilities and indigenous missile manufacturing ecosystem, IG Defence has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Government of Andhra Pradesh in the presence of IT Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Nara Lokesh and Union Minister of Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, to establish a proposed 200-acre next-generation Missile Development and Manufacturing Complex in the state
The proposed complex will be dedicated to indigenous missile development, micro-missile technologies, propulsion systems, precision-strike capabilities and advanced defence manufacturing. The facility is envisioned as an integrated defence technology and industrial ecosystem, designed to support India’s growing requirements for domestically developed and manufactured defence systems.
Modern warfare is fundamentally reshaping defence preparedness. Recent conflicts, particularly across West Asia, have exposed the massive consumption of missiles, precision-guided munitions, interceptors and unmanned systems. Concerns over US munitions inventories and industrial capacity reinforce a critical lesson: military strength depends not just on advanced weaponry, but also on magazine depth, ammunition availability and the ability to replenish at scale. For India, this makes indigenous design, development, manufacturing and sustained replenishment capabilities essential to long-term defence preparedness.
India’s future defence capabilities will depend not only on technological superiority but also on manufacturing sovereignty, resilient supply chains and the capacity to rapidly expand production in response to evolving security requirements. Against this backdrop, IG Defence’s proposed manufacturing complex represents an ambitious step towards building an indigenous industrial foundation for India’s next generation of missile and precision-strike technologies.
At the centre of IG Defence’s missile technology roadmap is JWALA™️, its indigenous next-generation micro-missile programme, aimed at advancing compact missile technologies and addressing emerging requirements in precision engagement and counter-unmanned aerial systems. As modern battlefields increasingly witness the deployment of low-cost drones, autonomous aerial platforms and increasingly sophisticated, unmanned threats, the demand for scalable, cost-conscious and technologically advanced missile solutions is growing. JWALA reflects IG Defence’s ambition to contribute to this evolving defence landscape through indigenous missile engineering and domestic manufacturing capabilities.
The programme has already achieved an important development milestone, with its solid rocket motors successfully test-fired, marking progress in the company’s indigenous propulsion development efforts.
The proposed Nellore complex will strengthen IG Defence’s long-term missile development and manufacturing ambitions, building indigenous capabilities across critical defence technology domains. At its core will be GRID Forge, IG Defence’s software-defined manufacturing system, digitally integrating production infrastructure, engineering, quality systems and industrial workflows.
Designed to move beyond conventional factory infrastructure, GRID Forge will enable manufacturing visibility, process standardisation, production traceability, quality assurance and operational coordination. By combining intelligent software with advanced production infrastructure, IG Defence aims to create a scalable, future-ready and replicable defence manufacturing ecosystem, strengthening India’s ability to develop and manufacture critical defence technologies domestically.
The proposed complex will strengthen Andhra Pradesh’s growing aerospace and defence ecosystem by adding significant missile development and manufacturing capabilities. With strategic manufacturing clusters spanning naval systems in Visakhapatnam, missiles and ammunition, unmanned systems in Kurnool–Orvakal, and aerospace and electronics, the state is emerging as a key defence manufacturing hub.
The proposed 200-acre IG Defence complex in Nellore will complement this ecosystem and strengthen indigenous defence supply chains. Under the MoU, APEDB will facilitate the investment process and coordinate with relevant government departments for project development, approvals and statutory clearances.
Commenting on the development, Bodhisattwa Sanghapriya, Founder and CEO of IG Defence, said, “Modern warfare is no longer defined by technology alone. It is equally defined by how quickly a nation can manufacture, deploy and replenish its defence capabilities. Recent global conflicts have reinforced a critical lesson: military strength depends not just on advanced capabilities, but also on munitions depth and the ability to replenish them at scale. India must build resilient domestic supply chains and independently develop and manufacture technologies vital to its national security.”
“At IG Defence, our ambition goes beyond individual products. We aim to build indigenous technologies, intellectual property and manufacturing infrastructure for the weapons systems of tomorrow. JWALA embodies our commitment to indigenous missile technology, while GRID Forge represents our vision for software-defined defence manufacturing. Together, they will form the foundation of a next-generation manufacturing ecosystem. Our partnership with the Government of Andhra Pradesh is an important step towards realising this vision. India must move beyond being a buyer or assembler of defence technologies to becoming their developer, owner and manufacturer,” he added.
The initiative aligns with the Government of India’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India, while supporting the broader objective of establishing India as a globally competitive defence technology and manufacturing hub.
Through indigenous product development, advanced manufacturing infrastructure and software-defined industrial systems, IG Defence aims to contribute to a new generation of Indian defence capabilities. Driven by its motto – For the Nation, With Precision, the ambition is not simply to build another defence factory. It is to build an indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem that can develop the technologies of tomorrow, manufacture at scale and strengthen India’s strategic autonomy.
