India’s homegrown missile push gains pace with 200-acre Andhra Pradesh plan

India’s drive to develop and build its own missiles is gathering pace. IG Defence says it has successfully test-fired the rocket motors for its homegrown JWALA programme and has now signed an agreement with the Andhra Pradesh government to set up a proposed 200-acre missile development and manufacturing complex in Nellore.

The agreement, announced in Visakhapatnam on November 12, would bring missile development, testing and manufacturing together at one site. It was signed in the presence of Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh and Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu. The Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board will help facilitate the investment and coordinate the approvals needed for the project.

A small missile for a growing drone threat

JWALA, the programme at the heart of the Nellore plan, is a compact missile that IG Defence is developing for several roles, including countering drones. The company says the successful motor tests mark progress in developing the technology that powers the missile. It has yet to announce a full missile flight test or an order from the Indian armed forces.

The proposed factory would also use IG Defence’s own software to link design, production and quality checks. The aim is to let teams trace parts and inspection records as production grows.

Why it matters for India

Recent conflicts in West Asia have shown how quickly militaries can use up missiles and interceptors. For India, developing more of these systems at home could give it greater control over how they are made, how quickly they can be replaced and where critical components come from. The Nellore proposal would add missile manufacturing to an Andhra Pradesh defence sector that already includes naval industry in Visakhapatnam and drone initiatives in Kurnool–Orvakal.

“India must move beyond being a buyer or assembler of defence technologies to becoming their developer, owner and manufacturer,” said IG Defence founder and CEO Bodhisattwa Sanghapriya. For the Nellore project, the next milestones are securing approvals, setting a construction schedule and advancing JWALA