How Yogi's UP Became New Home Of BrahMos Missiles That Destroyed 11 Pakistani Airbases
It was Yogi Adityanath, during the recent inauguration of the BrahMos Aerospace facility in Lucknow, who confirmed the use of the missile in India's retaliatory strikes.
The glistening, 28-feet long silver arrows cruised through the night air on May 9-10 at 3,600 kmph, or nearly six times the speed of normal aircraft, 'BrahMos' emblazoned across them in blue.
Fifteen of them crashed as giant fireballs on 11 of Pakistan's 13 major airbases, crippling the country's air defence network and military infrastructure. All that remained were runways pockmarked with craters, ashes of air defence radars and equipment, and a nation scampering to save its nuclear facilities from further hits.
The BrahMos, dispatched to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack, left Pakistan in a muted scream, a thousand kilometres from its new home, the Sarojini Nagar defence production unit in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
UP under CM Yogi Adityanath is the newest birthplace of Asia's most dreaded ballistic missile. It was Yogi, during the recent inauguration of the BrahMos Aerospace facility in Lucknow, who confirmed the use of the missile in India's retaliatory strikes. 'If you didn't witness the BrahMos in action, ask the people of Pakistan," he said with a smile. The announcement was made at a high-profile event – the inauguration of the BrahMos production unit in Lucknow. It was a carefully timed disclosure to bring into sharp focus not just India's rapidly growing military might but also UP's role in defence manufacturing.
BrahMos is a long-range supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia. Its 'Fire-and-Forget' principle, two-stage propulsion system, stealth features, and advanced guidance technology make it extremely difficult to detect or intercept. Depending on the mission, the missile can carry warheads of up to 300 kg and can fly barely 10 metres from the ground and as high as 15 km.
Naturally, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018 announced two Defence Industrial Corridors – one in Uttar Pradesh and the other in Tamil Nadu – BrahMos was a key component of the plan. These corridors are part of the 'Make in India' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiatives aimed at reducing Bharat's past dependence as the world's largest importer of arms.
Uttar Pradesh was chosen because of its enormous population, bustling economy, and existing manufacturing capabilities, particularly in medium, small and micro enterprises. Its central location, infrastructure, and connectivity make it easy to access supply chains in defence production.
Then there is a preponderance of skilled labour available for large-scale manufacturing. The Yogi Adityanath government also offers incentives and subsidies to draw investment, including tax benefits and land cost rebates.
The six designated nodes of the UP Defence Industrial Corridor include Lucknow, Kanpur, Aligarh, Agra, Jhansi, and Chitrakoot.
The new BrahMos Aerospace facility in Lucknow has been built on 80 hectares provided without cost by the state with a total investment of Rs 300 crore.
The BrahMos Aerospace Unit in Lucknow includes a precision casting plant for critical components of jet engines and aircraft systems; a forge shop and mill products plant for titanium and super alloy bars, rods, and sheets; a precision machining shop which is India's first indigenous plant for titanium and super alloy metal powder production; the Stride Academy for practical training in defence and aerospace tech; and an R&D centre for indigenous technology development and material innovation.
So far, 57 MoUs have been signed, with a proposed investment of nearly Rs 30,000 crore. The target is to raise Rs 50,000 crore and create a lakh jobs.
While the BrahMos is doing its job, the destructive and creative power of the India's defence manufacturing idea is the real weapon.
Abhijit Majumder is a senior journalist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views.
First Published:
May 30, 2025, 10:26 IST
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