India is set to take a significant step forward in advanced metal processing, strengthening its ability to ensure a reliable supply of critical components for the defence and aerospace sectors.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will lay the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art 10,000-tonne aluminium extrusion press at Yantra India Limited’s Ordnance Factory, Ambajhari, in Nagpur, Maharashtra, on Friday.
Yantra India Limited (YIL) is a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Defence.
The proposed extrusion press is expected to become a key asset for the defence manufacturing sector. According to the Ministry of Defence, it will strengthen the country’s capability to produce large, high-strength and precision aluminium alloy extrusions required by the defence and aerospace industries.
Extrusion is a manufacturing process used to produce objects with a fixed cross-sectional profile by forcing material through a die.
“The project will help reduce dependence on imports of critical aluminium extruded components and support indigenous manufacturing,” the ministry said.
Explaining the significance of the project, sources noted that aluminium alloys form the backbone of aircraft structures, missiles, rockets and military vehicles because they provide an optimal combination of light weight, high strength and corrosion resistance.
The new facility in Nagpur will enable India to manufacture large, single-piece structural components for fighter aircraft, transport aircraft and space launch vehicles.
The 10,000-tonne capacity refers to the pressing force the machine can exert to shape large, ultra-high-strength and heavy-gauge aluminium alloys.
Historically, India has relied on imports for many high-precision aluminium extruded components because domestic facilities lacked the capability to produce them at this scale.
With India’s growing emphasis on self-reliance in defence manufacturing, the country is expected to produce around 500 fighter aircraft over the next 15 years, in addition to thousands of armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Such programmes are expected to benefit significantly from this advanced metal-processing capability.
