Hyderabad: Hyderabad-based aerospace and defense company VEM Technologies has set up an advanced Seeker manufacturing facility in the city, which is touted as the first such facility in India in the private sector, with indigenous technology.
The new facility set up at Hardware Park in Tukkuguda near Srisailam Road with an investment of over Rs 100 crore is spread across 1,25,000 sq ft, with amenities required to carry out the assembly, integration, and testing of sub-systems required for radio frequency (RF) and imaging infrared radar (IIR) Seekers under one roof, GP Sarma, senior vice-president, Marketing, VEM Technologies told Telangana Today.
VEM Technologies had been founded by V Venkata Raju, who is also the chairman and managing director of VEM, with an aim to make the company as a systems engineering company offering solutions to the Armed services making the country self-reliant.
The company has been working on building Seeker manufacturing capabilities since 2013.
Seekers help missiles track and strike the targets with accuracy.
Sarma said, “We are looking to cater to domestic needs for RF Seekers. Very few countries in the world have Seeker manufacturing capabilities. Countries such as the US, Russia, France, Israel and India have the capability to make them. There is however a good scope for exporting IIR Seekers.”
VEM’s Advanced Systems Division, which was recently inaugurated by Dr G Satheesh Reddy, secretary, Department of Defence R&D & chairman-DRDO, has the capacity to manufacture about 60 RF Seekers per month and about 300 IIR Seekers per month.
“The facility will cater to IIR Seekers for various missile programmes. The company can augment the capacities based on the orders,” Sarma added. The company has received soft financial assistance from Technology Development Board, Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, to a tune of Rs 25 crore for the ‘Development & Commercialisation of RF Seekers’.
Praveen P A, director, Aerospace & Defence, Government of Telangana said, “Despite Covid, Hyderabad defence and aerospace ecosystem is attracting fresh investments and most players are expanding capacities to meet the opportunities presented by indigenisation goals and Aatma Nirbhar Bharat drive in defence production.”
