Merlinhawk Aerospace Pvt Ltd. in collaboration with Italy’s Vega Composites, has inaugurated Merlinhawk Composites & Engineering Pvt Ltd, a new advanced composites manufacturing facility at Shoolagiri in the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor. The new unit is expected to strengthen India’s capabilities in aerospace and defence manufacturing while supporting the country’s ambition to become a global hub for advanced engineering and high-performance materials.
The facility was inaugurated by Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, PVSM, AVSM, NM, Former Chief of the Naval Staff, in the presence of industry leaders, international partners and representatives from India’s defence and manufacturing sectors. The project represents a strategic collaboration between Indian and Italian companies, combining international expertise in advanced composite technologies with India’s growing engineering and manufacturing ecosystem.
Designed to manufacture advanced composite aerostructures and critical aerospace components, the Shoolagiri facility will cater to applications across military and civil aviation, unmanned aerial systems, radar systems, electronic warfare platforms and other high-performance defence equipment. The project also supports India’s efforts to reduce dependence on imported aerospace materials and technologies.
The manufacturing facility integrates end-to-end production capabilities, including cleanroom composite lay-up, precision material cutting, autoclave curing and five-axis CNC machining. These capabilities allow complete manufacturing of advanced composite components—from design and engineering to final production—within India, significantly enhancing domestic value addition.
Speaking at the inauguration, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi said Merlinhawk Aerospace has consistently contributed to the development of indigenous technologies over the past four decades by localising advanced avionics and defence systems. He noted that the company’s collaboration with Vega Composites marks another important milestone in bringing advanced composite manufacturing technologies to India and strengthening the country’s aerospace and defence ecosystem under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
R. Ramachandra Rao, Founder and Managing Director of Merlinhawk Aerospace Pvt. Ltd., said the new facility represents an important step in the company’s evolution from systems engineering to advanced aerospace manufacturing. He noted that as aerospace platforms increasingly adopt lightweight, high-strength composite materials, India must develop integrated expertise in material science, engineering and precision manufacturing. The partnership with Vega Composites, he added, combines European technological expertise with Indian engineering capabilities to support both domestic programmes and global aerospace supply chains.
The facility incorporates globally recognised manufacturing processes and equipment sourced from leading European technology partners. Besides strengthening manufacturing capabilities, the collaboration is expected to facilitate technology transfer, develop specialised skills and enhance India’s competitiveness in advanced materials production.
Commodore (Retd.) Bharat Bhushan Nagpal, Chief Executive Officer of Merlinhawk Composites & Engineering Pvt. Ltd., said the facility has been established with a strong emphasis on precision manufacturing, quality assurance and compliance with international aerospace standards. In addition to production, the company will focus on workforce development, process excellence and creating a sustainable ecosystem for advanced manufacturing.
Roberto Lapini, Chief Executive Officer of Vega Composites, said India offers significant opportunities to emerge as a strategic manufacturing destination for advanced composite technologies. He described the joint venture as a long-term industrial partnership that will promote technology sharing, collaborative product development and globally competitive manufacturing capabilities.
Aligned with the Government of India’s Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives, the facility is expected to strengthen the Tamil Nadu Defence Corridor while supporting India’s integration into global aerospace manufacturing networks. Once fully operational, the plant is expected to generate employment for more than 200 skilled professionals, with dedicated programmes for technical training, knowledge transfer and advanced materials research, further reinforcing India’s position in the global aerospace industry.
