Defence Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated the country’s primary aeronautical research facility at Challakere in Chitradurga district on Sunday with the assertion that maintaining optimal defence preparedness was crucial.
The Aeronautical Test Range will host several unmanned aerial vehicles which will be tested and integrated in this remote facility before being inducted by the Armed Forces.
“The entire gamut of the country’s aeronautical defence preparedness will be tested in this area. A major national facility has been made operational today,” Mr. Jaitley said.
The 4,090-acre campus, the first of its kind, would also bring “change” to the region. “The two most important requirements for facilities like these are the availability of trained manpower and the creation of an ecosystem which promotes research. In Chitradurga now there are many national institutes which are setting up campus. This will elevate the region,” Mr Jaitley said.
