DRDO to set up new missile testing range in West Bengal’s Junput

India is set to get another weapons and missile testing facility in West Bengal, with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) planning a range at Junput in Purba Medinipur district along the Bay of Bengal, Times of India reported.

The proposed facility is expected to supplement the country's existing Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Odisha's Chandipur and expand India's capacity to conduct weapons trials along the eastern coast.

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DRDO had proposed the testing range along the Purba Medinipur coast in April 2024. However, the proposal did not receive land from the then Trinamool Congress government, according to officials familiar with the project.

West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, speaking at an event on Friday, said the DRDO had approached the state government for the project but did not receive a response from the previous administration.

"I have okayed it. This will be a big project for West Bengal's development," he said.

A senior DRDO source also confirmed that the missile testing project is coming up in West Bengal.

The Junput facility would become another major testing hub for DRDO, alongside the ITR at Chandipur and a proposed testing facility in Andhra Pradesh.

India's existing ITR operates through two launch complexes in Odisha. Launch Complex-III at Chandipur-on-Sea is primarily used for trials of short-range tactical missiles, surface-to-air systems and multi-barrel rocket launchers such as Akash and Pinaka.

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Launch Complex-IV, located off the Odisha coast, is used for trials of longer-range strategic systems, including the Agni series of ballistic missiles and K-series submarine-launched missiles.

The Chandipur facility offers a secure coastal testing environment with an unobstructed eastward trajectory over the Bay of Bengal. The proposed Junput range, located around 70 km along the Bay of Bengal from Chandipur, is expected to help share the testing load currently handled by the Odisha facility.

The new range would further strengthen India's defence testing infrastructure and provide an additional location for the development and evaluation of missile and weapon systems.