With an outlay of Rs 400 crore, DTIS was launched in May 2020 by the Union Defence Minister to establish state-of-the-art testing facilities in collaboration with private industry and Central/State government, boost indigenous defence production, reduce imports of military equipment and enhance self-reliance.
DTIS provides up to 75 per cent of government funding as 'grant-in-aid', while the remaining 25 per cent is funded by Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), comprising Indian private companies and state/central governments.
For the UAS test facility, Kerala Government undertaking Keltron is the lead SPV member while a few private sector companies are members of the consortium. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and India Optel Limited (IOL) are the lead SPV members in the EW and EO test facilities respectively. On completion of the project, they will provide advanced test equipment and services to both government and private industry, thereby promoting 'self-reliance' in the defence sector.
