Union Defence Secretary lauds L&T Katupalli Shipyard as national asset
India’s Defence Secretary Mr Giridhar Aramane visited L&T Katupalli Shipyard, near Chennai on 20 April. This visit assumes significance because of the Government’s thrust on ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ to boost the capital acquisitions programmes of the Indian Armed Forces.
Mr Aramane was welcomed by business heads and senior team members and given an overview of the product and project portfolio of L&T Precision Engineering Systems (PES). Some prototypes of the L&T-designed submarine, radar control system, waterjet propulsion and other key systems and products were shown to him.
The Defence Secretary toured the various manufacturing shops, the dry and wet berths, as well as the one-of-a-kind shiplift facility – all of which are spread across more than 200 acres. The best practices, latest manufacturing technologies being used for ship construction (such as virtual reality, scanning, laser tracking and laser projection) were showcased.
The PES team also gave him a demo of the functional capabilities of unmanned vessels Vega and Maya. Mr Aramane expressed keenness to acquire understanding of the indigenous content of L&T’s unmanned vehicles, the ownership of algorithms and so on.
Mr Aramane also graced the plate-cutting ceremony of the third Cadet Training Ship (CTS) which L&T is designing and constructing for the Ministry of Defence.
Acknowledging the contribution of L&T to India’s defence sector, Mr Aramane commended L&T for maintaining the best- in-class shipbuilding yard and termed it a “national asset” for its exemplary efficiency, safety and the technological skills that it employs.
