Hyderabad builds it; Delhi announces it
Defence Ministry says DRDO designed an expendable turbojet; Hyderabad’s Azad Engineering made and assembled it, and handed it over on July 22.
The engine was delivered to GTRE on July 22; the announcement came from Delhi.
Hyderabad’s shop floor did the quiet hard part again. The Defence Ministry said DRDO’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) has designed an indigenous expendable turbojet engine in the 350 kg thrust class, and identified Hyderabad-based Azad Engineering as its industry partner for manufacturing and assembly. Azad delivered the realised engine to GTRE on July 22, 2026, handing it over to DRDO’s aeronautics chief Dr K. Rajalakshmi Menon and GTRE director Dr S. V. Ramanamurty.
The Ministry called it the “first indigenous” engine of its kind — their phrasing, not an audited history — and listed roles clearly: GTRE designed it; Azad manufactured and assembled it. There is no public claim yet of a flight test, induction or the platform it will power; treat this as a significant build delivered to the lab, not a missile on the wing.
Hyderabad’s precision manufacturers keep turning the screw on defence self-reliance while the BJP-led Centre prefers a victory lap at the microphone. The work was done at Jeedimetla’s end of the runway; the announcements, predictably, at Delhi’s.