By A Correspondent

Bengaluru (Karnataka): Indian multi-sector major Tata Sons Limited chairman N. Chandrasekaran, on Tuesday (June 2, 2026), toured the group’s aerospace and defence facilities coming up in Karnataka, directing its arms that handle the manufacturing and maintenance operations there to extend their reach and globalise their footprint.

First up, Chandrasekaran visited the defence maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) site, coming up near the Bengaluru airport, accompanied by Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) managing director Sukaran Singh and other senior management team members.

Set up by TASL on a 16-acre land, the defence MRO site would be the first private sector facility spanning 15,000 square metres. The MRO is scheduled for commissioning by the end of December 2026.

Once ready and operational, the facility would take up heavy maintenance and avionics upgrade of the American firm Lockheed Martin’s C-130J Super Hercules specialist military cargo aircraft, employing over 250 personnel, the company said in a statement issued on Wednesday (June 3).

Chandrasekaran also visited the TASL’s e-City facility, where he inspected the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturing facility, optronics product lines, and land mobility displays.

“This facility includes TASL’s strategic UAV programme, where unique capabilities have been designed and integrated in India to create new platforms,” the statement said.

The Tata Sons Chairman was briefed on TASL’s indigenously developed Loitering Munitions (LMs) platform, showcasing an upgraded range with operational ranges extending from 50 km to hundreds of km and heavier payload capabilities. 

Chandrasekaran appreciated that TASL Land Mobility Division has internationalised the footprint, extended the reach, and supplied over 4,000 such multi-axle high mobility platforms with applications to the Royal Moroccan Army and the Armenian Armed Forces in the last three years.

TASL’s value add on the JLR Defender vehicles for use in military applications by adding optronics, navigation aids, and armouring, meeting a variety of end uses, was also acknowledged by the Tata Sons chairman as “a good example of synergies” being drawn between group companies.

The Advanced Armoured Platform, which is the first tracked combat vehicle designed and built jointly with state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and integrated with TASL’s in-house developed 30 mm crewless turret, was also showcased. 

TASL’s Vemagal facility was the final stop during Chandrasekaran’s visit. He walked through the Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus joint H125 Final Assembly Line, dedicated to the India H125 programme, and a significant milestone for the country’s rotary-wing aerospace manufacturing ecosystem.

This was followed by an inspection of the Vemagal’s defence facilities, which included a comprehensive review of the C295 wiring harness facility, the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), Mounted Gun Systems (MGS), and launcher system integration hangars.

“The visit reinforced Tata Group’s strategic focus in the defence business with TASL, which is leveraging indigenous innovation, advanced engineering, and industrial scale to contribute meaningfully to national security objectives,” the company added.

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