From Sai Baba town to artillery hub: Inside Shirdi’s massive defence manufacturing push

In a development being described as a blend of ‘Bhakti’ (devotion) and ‘Shakti’ (power), the Shirdi Defence Manufacturing Complex (DMC) was unveiled over the weekend in the temple town best known for the revered Sai Baba shrine that draws millions of devotees every year. The project is expected to provide a major push to India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India ambitions in the defence sector.

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Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh formally launched the Shirdi DMC on Saturday (May 23) in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, an eight-time MLA from Shirdi.

Addressing a gathering, Rajnath Singh said India, once known primarily as a weapons importer, was steadily moving towards becoming one of the world’s largest defence exporters in the next 25 to 30 years. Stressing the importance of greater industry participation, Singh said the government’s target was to increase the private sector’s share in defence production to 50 per cent.

Shirdi anchors defence expansion

Spread across 200 acres in Shirdi in Ahilyanagar district, the facility has come up with an initial investment of Rs 1,000 crore and is projected to create employment for nearly 2,000 people. Developed by the NIBE Group, the complex has been set up to strengthen advanced manufacturing in key defence and aerospace sectors, further expanding India’s indigenous production capabilities and strategic technology base.

Part of a larger Rs 10,000 crore defence blueprint, the complex anchors India’s largest private artillery plant. The facility is engineered to manufacture up to 5 lakh artillery shells annually, including highly demanded 155mm ammunition, 120mm mortars, and 125mm rounds.

To support this massive ecosystem, a secondary, parallel ordnance complex is being set up nearby at Belwandi in the Shrigonda taluka. Spanning 600 acres with a Rs 2,000 crore investment, this secondary site will specialise in producing heavy military explosives like TNT, RDX, and HMX to feed the country’s manufacturing supply chain.

A network of over 100 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are integrated into the complex's supply chain, providing a major financial trickle-down effect for local manufacturing businesses.

Future warfare turns multi-domain: CDS

Speaking on the occasion, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said future wars will be multi-domain with land, sea, air, cyberspace, and cognitive warfare operating together, with technology, speed and innovation being important determinants of successful operations.

General Chauhan said war, warfare and methods of war are witnessing rapid changes. Asserting that modern warfare is not just based on manpower, conventional weapons or platform-centric operations, the top military officer said AI, drones, robotics, cyber systems, autonomous platforms, space technologies, precision strike weapons, and information dominance are giving a decisive shape to future wars.

While pointing out that even the most capable military force needs a strong industrial base, he said self-reliance in the defence sector is not just an economic objective but also a strategic necessity. Chauhan informed that domestic defence production has reached nearly Rs 1.27 lakh crore, while exports have reached record levels. Defence exports stand at Rs 38,000 crore, he said, adding that items were being exported to over 100 countries.

Push for defence self-reliance

“Shirdi represents a confluence of Bhakti (devotion) and Shakti (power); on one side, it carries the blessings of Sai Baba, and on the other, we are working towards building Shirdi into a major defence manufacturing centre,” Vikhe-Patil said.

“Along with strengthening India’s defence preparedness, this initiative will create large-scale employment opportunities for people in the region. Our aim is to develop Shirdi as a true symbol of Swadeshi and Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence technology,” he added.

“At NIBE Group, we strongly believe that the nation’s strength lies in the ideas, energy and determination of students, young engineers and aspiring entrepreneurs,” said NIBE Ltd Chairman and Managing Director Ganesh Nibe.

“The facility will manufacture artillery shells, drones, explosives, aerospace equipment and a range of other defence systems. We have the capacity to produce five lakh shells every year,” Nibe said.

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Alongside the defence facility, NIBE Group also inaugurated its Bio-CNG Gas Plant, highlighting the company’s focus on sustainable industrial growth and clean energy initiatives.