The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a mechanical and material testing facility in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, under the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS). The facility will be located within the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor and developed through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) comprising both public and private sector participants.
The agreement was signed on July 28, 2025, between officials of the MoD and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO), in the presence of Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production), MoD.
Under DTIS guidelines, up to 75 percent of the project cost will be funded by the central government as a grant-in-aid, with the remaining 25 percent contributed by the SPV partners. For this project, the private sector lead is a company identified as Micro Labs, while the consortium includes TIDCO, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and Vaidheswaran Industries.
The upcoming facility will provide advanced mechanical and material testing equipment and services for use by both public and private entities in the defence and aerospace sectors.
DTIS was launched with a total outlay of INR 4 billion to develop modern testing infrastructure in collaboration with industry and government partners. So far, seven testing facilities have been approved under the scheme—four in Tamil Nadu and three in Uttar Pradesh.
