The Milkor Group continues to grow globally as they have their first setup in the Asian market by establishing manufacturing facilities in India. During the course of this year, Milkor Defence Private Limited will setup up capability in Aligarh Node, Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor. The company has taken possession of 10 acres of land with support from UPEIDA and are in the process of submitting their building plans for their state-of-the-art facility.
They tie up with the Original Equipment Manufacturer, Milkor Pty Ltd, who was established in 1981 out of South Africa and is considered a massive boost for the Indian defence industry given the innovation of the groups technology and possible export opportunities. The ability to design, develop and manufacture high-end MALE Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Patrol Vessels, Armored Vehicles and Grenade Launchers will allow the company to adapt their offerings to the needs of the Indian Armed Forces. This will be India’s first private sector tri-domain manufacturing setup investing into Air, Land and Sea capabilities.
Milkor Defence’s commitment to the Make in India program is evident from the fact that they are establishing one of the most modern UAV manufacturing setups in India, catering for armed platforms that fall under the Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) category. The manufacturing facility will be one of the largest private setups in the country and will meet the requirements for the production line of the Custodian LT – Multi-role UCAV.
As the renowned manufacturer for the 40mm handheld grenade launcher, the company is planning to establish one of the most modern barrel manufacturing facilities in the country of different calibers. In addition, they will setup a Firing Test Range at their plant that will facilitate its team with carrying out R&D as well as demonstrations to the relevant end users.
The group will be showcasing their capabilities at DEFEXPO 2022 to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat between the 10 – 14th March at the Helipad Exhibition Centre. Building on their experience and reputation on 40mm grenade launchers, their R&D team has managed to build another impressive platform in the form of their 40mm Automatic Grenade Launcher. The ability to be either man-portable, crew-served or vehicle mounted with integration onto a remote control weapon station makes this a deadly and efficient addition to any arsenal. The innovation of 40mm High Velocity Air Burst Munitions coupled with a Fire Control Unit ensures for increased accuracy and the ability to engage mounted and dismounted targets, behind buildings and other battlefield obstacles.
As India looks to become self-reliant, the Ministry of Defence has issued further “Non-import banned lists” which will act as a force multiplier for boosting local defence manufacturing. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has expressed their intentions of further cutting the imports and favoring local production capabilities. The Indian defence services were earlier asked to prepare a list of procurement plans from abroad that could be replaced by indigenous items. Milkor’s manufacturing and production goals align with these plans for a stronger Indian defence industry in the future.