Hyderabad, Dec 2 : Telangana is planning to establish a Drone Manufacturing and Testing Corridor to boost indigenous defence capabilities, said State Minister for Information Technology and Industries Duddilla Sridhar Babu on Tuesday.

He said that Telangana is working towards positioning itself as the â??Defence Strategic Hub of Indiaâ?? by developing a strong ecosystem for unmanned systems and advanced defence manufacturing.

The government is preparing a comprehensive roadmap to transform Telangana into a global leader in defence innovation, with a special focus on unmanned aerial systems, drone technologies and aerospace manufacturing.

Sridhar Babu was speaking at the Bhoomi Pooja ceremony for the proposed JSW Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Facility at the Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC), Maheshwaram, on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The facility is being established by JSW Defence in partnership with Shield AI, with an investment of Rs 850 crore.

Observing that drones, satellites, cyber systems and artificial intelligence have become integral to modern warfare, the Minister said achieving self-reliance in drone manufacturing was crucial for national security in the current geopolitical environment.

He said Indiaâ??s domestic defence UAV and drone market is projected to grow to $4.4â??5 billion by 2030, adding that Telangana is positioning itself to leverage this growth by creating a world-class manufacturing and innovation ecosystem.

The Minister noted that the presence of global defence firms such as Elbit Systems and Schiebel in Hyderabad reflected Telanganaâ??s rising stature in the defence and aerospace sector.

The upcoming facility, spread across 16 acres, will manufacture up to 300 VBAT drones annually and is expected to commence operations by the end of next year.

The unit will include integrated production, repair and testing capabilities and is expected to generate around 300 skilled jobs.

MLA Malreddy Ranga Reddy and senior officials were present at the ceremony.

/IANS