CM Vijay raises AMCA and CABS defence projects with PM Modi — could create thousands of high-skill jobs and position Chennai as India's next-gen defence aviation hub

During his meeting with PM Modi, CM Vijay highlighted that major defence initiatives — including the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and the Combat Airborne Systems (CABS) projects — are already underway in Tamil Nadu through DRDO-linked organisations.

He urged the Prime Minister to establish the main Combat Airborne Systems facility within Tamil Nadu, building on the state's existing DRDO and HAL-linked infrastructure to position it as a hub for India's next-generation defence aviation sector.

The AMCA and CABS projects are considered transformative for Tamil Nadu's industrial economy, with potential to create thousands of high-skilled jobs and position the Chennai-Coimbatore-Tiruvallur corridor as India's premier defence aerospace zone.

Tamil Nadu already has significant aerospace infrastructure — including the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) engine division in Korattur, DRDO's Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) in Avadi, and a growing aerospace component manufacturing ecosystem around Chennai.

If successful, the AMCA-CABS cluster could make Tamil Nadu central to India's Aatmanirbhar Bharat defence manufacturing push — and give the TVK government a major economic development win independent of pending Centre-State fiscal disputes.