Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) facility at Sunabeda in Koraput district on October 6 to lay the foundation stone for new facilities linked to the Shakti engine, placing the Odisha industrial complex at the centre of India’s push for indigenous defence production.
Singh is expected to reach Sunabeda in the afternoon after attending programmes at Hindustan Shipyard Limited in Visakhapatnam. The Visakhapatnam programme includes the inauguration of upgraded maritime infrastructure and participation in key shipbuilding milestones, according to officials cited in the report.
At HAL Sunabeda, the proposed facilities will support the Shakti engine programme. The announcement is significant for the Koraput division, which has been associated for decades with the manufacture, overhaul and maintenance of aircraft engines used by India’s military. The new facilities are expected to strengthen the division’s role within the country’s defence manufacturing infrastructure.
The Shakti engine programme has a longstanding connection with HAL, while the Koraput unit has developed from servicing Soviet-origin aircraft engines to undertaking manufacturing, overhaul and maintenance work for engines used in modern combat aircraft. The facility is currently associated with the manufacture and overhaul of engines for the Sukhoi-30MKI fleet.
The planned foundation ceremony comes as India seeks to expand domestic capabilities in aero-engine technology and reduce dependence on overseas sources. The report does not provide the proposed facilities’ cost, capacity, construction timeline or commissioning schedule. Those details will determine the scale and immediate operational impact of the expansion once they are formally disclosed.
For Sunabeda, the development reinforces the importance of the HAL complex as an industrial node in a district better known nationally for its remote and largely hilly geography. The facility’s work links the town to the wider military aviation support chain, including the continued operation and maintenance of combat aircraft. Its role also means that changes to the complex have implications beyond a single construction site, affecting specialised engineering, manufacturing and maintenance activity.
Security arrangements have been strengthened across Sunabeda and along the routes leading to the venue ahead of the minister’s visit. Koraput superintendent of police Rohit Verma said adequate personnel had been deployed, routes had been thoroughly sanitised and necessary security measures had been put in place.
The foundation stone ceremony on October 6 is expected to formally mark the next stage of HAL Koraput’s involvement in facilities linked to the Shakti engine. Further details on the project’s scope and implementation will be established through the foundation programme and subsequent official announcements.
