Shirdi starts manufacturing heavy artillery shells for Indian forces
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated India’s largest private-sector artillery shell manufacturing plant in Shirdi, Maharashtra, establishing a highly secure industrial hub dedicated to national security. Developed over a 200-acre expanse within the Savali Vihir Industrial Estate, this facility represents a substantial investment of Rs 1,000 crore by the indigenous engineering firm NIBE Limited. Operating with completely local raw materials and homegrown technology, the production site has the capacity to turn out five lakh 155 mm artillery shells every year, rapidly boosting local production.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan attended the event, which highlights the expanding role of local businesses in military supplies. Beyond heavy ammunition, the facility will soon start producing multi-caliber rocket launcher configurations, aerospace components, and advanced electronic testing architectures. The site is also equipped to assemble Vayu Astra-1 loitering munitions, colloquially known as kamikaze drones, capable of targeting threats up to 100 kilometers away.
This state-of-the-art infrastructure aligns directly with ongoing strategic initiatives to foster self-sufficiency in domestic arms production while turning the nation into a primary exporter of tactical hardware. To add contextual depth, this industrial progress links directly to testing locations across India, including the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha. Recently, Nibe successfully tested its long-range Suryastra rocket variants at the Odisha range, achieving critical operational metrics over distances spanning 150 to 300 kilometers. The components validated at the Odisha coast will now feed directly into the production assembly lines at the newly opened Maharashtra facility.
Economic Expansion through Local Defence Hubs
Local administrators project that the venture will secure direct and indirect jobs for nearly 2,000 regional workers, bringing major economic progress to the Ahilyanagar district. Additionally, a secondary, interconnected ordnance complex is taking shape across 600 acres at nearby Belwandi to manufacture military explosives including TNT, RDX, and HMX.
More than 100 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises are partnering with the core production facility to establish a reliable, sustainable domestic ecosystem. This cluster approach ensures that domestic micro-enterprises receive continuous sub-contracting orders, reducing supply blockages during emergency deployments.
