N Chandrababu Naidu pitches for shifting HAL AMCA, LCA production to Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh CM and NDA's key ally N Chandrababu Naidu has pitched for moving Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's (HAL) Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) production from Congress-ruled Karnataka to his state. For this purpose, Naidu has proposed 10,000 acres of land for HAL's AMCA production facility at Lepakshi-Madakasira hub, an hour away from the Bengaluru airport.

AMCA is India's fifth generation stealth fighter aircraft which is being developed and manufactured by HAL in collaboration with other private firms. This is a part of Naidu's big-ticket proposal for a defence industrial corridor and India's third after UP and Tamil Nadu, spread across 23,000 acres of land from north to the south of Andhra Pradesh. Naidu has proposed five hubs in this corridor. The CM discussed this with defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday.

Naidu's requests

* Move AMCA production to Lepakshi-Madakasira hub, which is planned as the largest hub in the defence industrial corridor. According to sources, Naidu pitched that HAL has saturated the Bengaluru ecosystem and needs more land and better policy-driven incentives which Andhra Pradesh can provide.

* Set-up IAF Station at Donakonda, which will be a part of Jaggiahpet-Donakonda hub. The state has identified 6,000 acres of land. The state has proposed an operational air base, logistics centre, training facility and research and development hub for IAF in this.

* Visakhapatnam-Anakapalli hub, proposed over 3,000 acres, is offered for Naval Equipment and Weapons Testing Facility. Naidu has proposed to notify seafront land parcel as a marine and underwater SEZ to support the Eastern Naval Command and the National Advanced Offshore Base. Naidu has also pointed out that HAL, which is anticipating ₹2.5 trillion in orders by 2026-27, is expanding production for LCA and Light Combat Helicopters and his state was eager to facilitate infrastructure to accelerate HAL's expansion plans.

* The fourth hub has been offered for military drone, robotics and advanced defence component manufacturing at Kurnool-Orvakal and will be spread across 4,000 acres,

* The fifth hub is proposed for research and development in defence innovations at Tirupati.

Defence industrial corridors utilise the existing defence manufacturing ecosystems and further build upon it through private investments. The corridors are expected to catalyse indigenous production of defence and aerospace related items reducing our reliance on imports and promoting export to other countries.On a two-day visit to the capital, Naidu met home minister Amit Shah, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, new and renewable energy minister Prahlad Joshi, Jal Shakti minister CR Patil, science and technology minister Dr Jitendra Singh and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.