Bharat Forge has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Andhra Pradesh government to establish what it claims will be India’s first private-sector marine gas turbine (MGT) repair, overhaul and indigenous development hub at Visakhapatnam.

The project, to be developed through the company’s aerospace division within the Andhra Pradesh Defence Manufacturing Corridor, marks Bharat Forge’s latest push into strategic defence manufacturing as India accelerates efforts to localise critical military technologies and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.

The facility will come up over nearly 80 acres and will be located close to the Naval Dockyard, INS Eksila and the Eastern Naval Command headquarters in Visakhapatnam. The MoU was signed during the Aerospace and Defence Investment Conclave in Puttaparthy in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Focus on naval propulsion self-reliance

Notably, marine gas turbines form the propulsion backbone for several frontline Indian Navy warships, but maintenance and overhaul capabilities have historically relied heavily on overseas supply chains. Bharat Forge said disruptions in global supply networks in recent years have affected repair and overhaul cycles for naval propulsion systems, creating operational challenges.

Phase 1 of the project will include a full-scale marine gas turbine repair and overhaul complex equipped with hot-section restoration capabilities for blades, vanes and combustion liners, along with component manufacturing and non-destructive testing (NDT) laboratories. The company also plans to establish a 72-hour turnaround capability for the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.

Phase 2 will focus on setting up India’s first private-sector marine gas turbine development and assembly facility, including a full-spectrum hot test cell and indigenous marine gas turbine development capability.

Andhra Pradesh deepens defence manufacturing push

The project is expected to generate around 750 direct and indirect jobs while strengthening Andhra Pradesh’s positioning as a key aerospace and defence manufacturing destination.

Amit Kalyani, Vice Chairman and Joint Managing Director of Bharat Forge, said the company’s investment is aimed at bringing critical marine gas turbine repair, overhaul and indigenous development capabilities to Indian soil for the first time within the private-sector ecosystem. He added that the project reflects Bharat Forge’s long-term commitment to supporting the Indian Navy and strengthening India’s defence manufacturing self-reliance goals.

The development comes as India intensifies investments in domestic defence production under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, with increasing participation from private-sector manufacturers in strategically critical programmes.

Earlier, Bharat Forge group company Agneyastra Energetics recently broke ground on a major defence manufacturing project in Andhra Pradesh focused on advanced energetics and ammunition systems. The Kalyani Strategic Systems subsidiary plans to invest ₹1,500 crore over the next two to four years to build a more than 1,000-acre integrated manufacturing campus near Madakasira in Sri Sathya Sai district.