Tamil Nadu to host global aerospace and defence meet in Chennai in Oct

Tamil Nadu will host Aerospace and Defence Meetings in Chennai from October 7 to 9 as part of its Defence Industrial Corridor plan to attract investments and boost domestic manufacturing

To give impetus to the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor (TNDIC), a state initiative targeting Rs 75,000 crore in investment and a 50 per cent contribution to India’s defence production by 2032, the state government will host Aerospace and Defence Meetings (ADM) at the Chennai Trade Centre from October 7 to 9.

 

The state is also eyeing a 50 per cent share in defence and aerospace sector investments going forward. The event will see participation from over 300 companies and more than 1,000 delegates. Leading global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and industry majors expected at the event include Airbus, Boeing, Dassault, Safran, Collins, RTX, IAI, Saab, EDGE, Ametek, Embraer, Tata Group, BEL, HAL, AVNL, Mazagon Dock, MBDA, DRDO, and Event Structure.

 

Participants from 16 countries will attend, including Australia, France, Germany, the US, the UK, the UAE, Japan, and Singapore. The aim is to attract domestic and international majors to establish manufacturing and innovation facilities in the state. “It is positioned under the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor as a premier platform to drive self-reliance, indigenisation, global supply chain integration, and public–private collaboration in aerospace and defence,” a government official said.

 

The sector currently has around Rs 22,016 crore worth of proposed investments. India’s defence production has grown rapidly since the launch of the Make in India initiative, reaching a record Rs 1.27 trillion in FY24, with defence exports climbing to an all-time high of Rs 23,622 crore in FY25.

 

Two Defence Industrial Corridors (DICs) have been established — in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu — to boost defence manufacturing. These corridors provide incentives to companies investing in the sector. Investments worth more than Rs 8,658 crore have already been made in the six nodes of Uttar Pradesh — Agra, Aligarh, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Kanpur, and Lucknow — and five nodes of Tamil Nadu — Chennai, Coimbatore, Hosur, Salem, and Tiruchirappalli. As of February 2025, 253 MoUs had been signed for both corridors, with a potential investment of Rs 53,439 crore.