Nagpur, JUne 19:
Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said conventional warfare and means are still relevant today as they were in 1947, and noted that a nation that fulfils its own needs can march ahead with confidence.
He was speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for a 10,000-tonne aluminium extrusion press at the state-owned Yantra India Limited (YIL) in Ambajhari, Nagpur. The new facility will help reduce dependence on imports of critical aluminium components.
Singh said supply chains can get disrupted when war erupts. “In such a scenario, every nation wants essential items to be manufactured domestically,” he said. A nation that fulfils its own needs can march ahead confidently, Singh said.
“Conventional warfare and means are still relevant, as they were in 1947,” Singh said, adding that they would remain crucial even in 2047. This is why military industrial bases would remain important even in future, he added.
Singh noted that India’s defence production surged to more than Rs 1,78,000 crore in 2025-26, which was just Rs 46,000 crore in 2014. Similarly, the country’s defence exports have now risen to Rs 40,000 crore from Rs 1,000 crore in 2014, he said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will perform the Bhoomi Pujan for a state-of-the-art 10,000-tonnes Aluminium Extrusion Press at Yantra India Limited (YIL), ordnance factory, Ambajhari in Nagpur, on June 19.
The ceremony will be attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar and other senior officials of Department of Defence Production as well as YIL.
The defence ministry press release stated, “The proposed extrusion press will be a major national asset for the defence manufacturing sector. It will strengthen the nation’s capability to produce large, high-strength and precision aluminium alloy extrusions to cater to the requirements of defence and aerospace sectors. The project will help reduce dependence on imports of critical aluminium extruded components and support indigenous manufacturing under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision.”
Since the outbreak of US-Israel-Iran war till last week, has impacted imports of major petro-chemical, alloys, metals, alluminum, fertilisers and other vital material. Now that the Indian ordinance factory will manufacture aluminum extrusion press, it will help bring down the rising costs which India would have been expected to pay.
According to defence experts aluminum extrusion machines are said to be efficient, energy-saving and environmentally friendly. These machines use a hydraulic system to extrude heated aluminum rods or plates into the shape desired. It is widely used in construction, transportation, aviation, electronics and other fields.
The basic structure of an aluminum extrusion press mainly consists of three parts, that are extrusion head, hydraulic system and control system. Aluminum alloys continue to be an essential part of aircraft structural design because this metal continues to offer the best possible balance of weight, strength, and pricing. The most common materials utilized in the manufacturing of defense equipment are high-strength aluminum sheets and extrusions.
India had simplified procedures to promote the procurement of design and development high power aluminium extrusions. This will be further enhanced as the design and development is expected to boost manufacturing of aircrafts for the defence sector.
Aluminum remains a common material in aerospace and defense manufacturing because it remains sturdy under pressure. It is an important metal for fuselage and structural elements of defense vehicles.
