New Missile Test Sites to Boost India’s Defence Capacity
What Happened
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is set to establish two new missile‑testing facilities. The first is at Junput in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district, cleared by the state government after years of delay. This facility will act as an extension of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, Odisha, helping absorb short‑range missile and radar trials. The second is the Navdurga missile‑test range at Nagayalanka, Andhra Pradesh, where Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone last year. Designed with indigenous radars, telemetry systems, and optical tracking, it will support long‑range and complex missile trials. Together, these projects aim to reduce the heavy workload at Chandipur and diversify India’s testing geography.
Key Takeaways
The expansion reflects India’s accelerating defence development, with a growing portfolio of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, air‑defence interceptors, and submarine‑launched systems. By adding Junput and Nagayalanka to its network, DRDO gains greater flexibility in designing flight trajectories, tracking assets, and conducting simultaneous tests. Strategically, this strengthens India’s ability to sustain competition with regional powers and shortens development cycles for indigenous weapon systems. The move also signals a long‑term investment in defence infrastructure, balancing coastal and inland testing environments for broader operational envelopes.