HYDERABAD: Bharat Forge is establishing the country’s first private Marine Gas Turbine (MGT) repair center in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. This center will repair and maintain engines used on Indian Navy warships. This initiative will enhance the Indian Navy’s capabilities and reduce dependence on foreign countries for warship engine repairs. This will make India more self-reliant in the defense sector.
The company made the announcement after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Andhra Pradesh government at the Aerospace and Defense Conference in Puttaparthi. The new factory will be built on approximately 80 acres of land within the Andhra Pradesh Defense Manufacturing Corridor, making the area a major hub for marine engineering in India.
According to officials, the complex will be strategically located near critical naval infrastructure, including the Naval Dockyard, INS Eksila, and the Eastern Naval Command headquarters in Visakhapatnam, enabling faster servicing and operational support for Indian Navy vessels.
This project will be carried out in two phases. In the first phase, Bharat Forge will establish a comprehensive Marine Gas Turbine Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility, equipped for hot section restoration of turbine blades, vanes, combustion liners, advanced component manufacturing, and non-destructive testing laboratories. The facility is designed to achieve a rapid turnaround capability of around 72 hours for critical naval maintenance requirements.
The second phase will focus on building India’s first private-sector Marine Gas Turbine Development and Assembly complex, featuring a full-scale hot test cell capable of supporting multiple propulsion ratings. This phase will also aim to develop and qualify an indigenous marine gas turbine system, marking a major step toward technological self-reliance in naval propulsion systems.
Industry experts see the initiative as a crucial milestone in India’s broader “Atmanirbhar Bharat” defence manufacturing push, particularly as the country seeks to reduce long-standing reliance on imported marine propulsion engines used in several frontline naval platforms. The project is also expected to create approximately 750 direct and indirect employment opportunities, boosting skilled jobs in the defence manufacturing sector.
The facility is expected to position Visakhapatnam as an emerging centre for advanced naval engineering and MRO services in the Indo-Pacific region. Officials also indicated that the infrastructure may, in the future, support repair and maintenance requirements of friendly foreign navies operating in the region, further expanding India’s strategic maritime footprint.
The Andhra Pradesh government is making every effort to attract major companies in the defense and aerospace sectors to the state. Several major projects are being established in the state to create a strong business environment. Meanwhile, Bharat Forge’s new initiative is being seen as a game-changer. This will allow India to manufacture gas turbines used in marine vessels, a field previously dominated by a few foreign companies.
