Bengaluru: UK-based Martin-Baker will invest ₹380 crore in Karnataka to manufacture aircraft ejection seats, Large and Medium Industries Minister M B Patil said on Wednesday. Tonbo Imaging India Limited, a defence-technology company, is also planning to invest, with a High-Power Microwave testing facility proposed in Vijayapura district.
Martin-Baker: ₹380 crore, 500-plus jobs
Patil held discussions with senior representatives of Martin-Baker, who met him to discuss their proposed investments. He described the company as a globally renowned manufacturer of ejection seats for military aircraft and safety systems for aircrew. The company has sought 10 acres in the fifth phase of the Harohalli Industrial Area for a manufacturing facility expected to generate more than 500 highly skilled jobs, and the land will be allotted at the earliest, he said.
More than 900 Martin-Baker ejection seats are in service across aircraft operated by the Indian Air Force and the Indian Naval Air Arm. The investment will help strengthen indigenous manufacturing, maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities and develop the local supply chain, the Minister added.
Tonbo Imaging: Vijayapura testing facility
Tonbo Imaging India Limited specialises in electro-optical and infrared systems, thermal imaging, advanced sensors and autonomous defence systems. Patil said the company has sought five acres in the ITIR area of Bengaluru for a High-Power Microwave (HPM) manufacturing facility and 130 acres at Mulwada in Vijayapura district for a dedicated testing facility, to be used for testing, evaluation and demonstrations of its technologies. It also plans to develop HPM systems and related technologies at the Bengaluru facility.
The Martin-Baker delegation comprised Chief Financial Officer Robert Morgan and Programme Manager Tom Dutton, along with Krishna Kumar, founder of Team D Engineering Private Limited and Indian partner in TMB Pvt Ltd. Tonbo Imaging was represented by Chief Financial Officer T S Sivashankar, co-founder and director Cecilia D’Souza and Vice-President, Strategic Partnerships Lt Cdr (Retd) D Rajendra Kumar. KIADB Chief Executive Officer Govind Reddy, the Minister’s Technical Adviser Aravind Galagali and Karnataka Udyog Mitra Managing Director Doddabasavaraju were present.
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