Now, Ordnance Factory Medak under AVNL Chennai

One of the biggest defence production establishments in Telangana and the only one in the country making armed combat vehicles, Ordnance Factory Medak, will be seen in a new role as it has been amalga

One of the biggest defence production establishments in Telangana and the only one in the country making armed combat vehicles, Ordnance Factory Medak, will be seen in a new role as it has been amalgamated into the newly-formed Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL) to be headquartered in Chennai (Avadi) from October 1.

All the 3,000-odd employees will be deputed and transferred into this new defence unit, one of the seven recently-formed after rejig of Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) headquartered at Kolkata, a few days ago. The Medak unit is among the 41 factories under OFB and its foundation stone was laid by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the first vehicle was rolled out in 1987 with technology assistance from Soviet Union and later the Russians, informed senior officials on Thursday.

Ever since for the last 37 years, it has been in the forefront in making armoured personnel carriers of various kinds with lot of indigenous technology inputs, including mine proof, bullet proof vehicles and those on reconnaissance missions and missile launch vehicles. OF-M has been collaborating with DRDO armament and combat engineering cluster like the Combat Vehicle Research Development Establishment at Chennai and the Vehicle Research Development Research Establishment at Ahmednagar.