Reliance Infra to Establish Explosives and Small Arms Manufacturing Facility in Maharashtra

Reliance Infrastructure has announced plans to set up an integrated manufacturing project for explosives, ammunition, and small arms in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. The company will invest over ₹10,000 crore in the project over the next 10 years. The facility will be developed on a 100-acre site allocated in the Watad Industrial Area of Ratnagiri, and will be part of the Dhirubhai Ambani Defence City (DADC).

The company, through its subsidiaries, already has a significant presence in India's defence sector. Joint ventures at MIHAN in Nagpur with French defence firms Dassault Aviation and Thales—namely Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) and Thales Reliance Defence Systems (TRDS)—export 100% of their production.

Reliance Infrastructure has exported more than ₹1,000 crore worth of defence equipment through its subsidiaries over time. Jai Armaments Ltd and Reliance Defence Ltd, both wholly owned by the company, hold government licenses to manufacture arms and ammunition. The new project is expected to feature joint ventures with up to six leading global defence companies, focusing on a wide range of ammunition, from small to large calibers, and terminally guided munitions (TGM). The small arms manufactured at the facility will cater to both civil and military export markets.

Reliance made the announcement through a filing with the stock exchanges, emphasizing the strategic importance of its growing role in the global defence supply chain.

HBL