Junput Missile Testing Range: India is set to strengthen its defence testing infrastructure with a proposed weapon and missile testing facility at Junput, a coastal village in Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal. The project, proposed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is expected to add another important location for testing the country’s weapons and missile systems.
The proposal to establish the testing range at Junput has received approval from West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who described the project as a significant development initiative for the state.
Junput to Become a Major Defence Testing Hub
The proposed facility at Junput is expected to become one of DRDO’s major testing centres. It would join the existing testing infrastructure at Chandipur in Odisha and the proposed testing facility in Andhra Pradesh.
At present, India’s main missile testing infrastructure includes the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Odisha, which operates through two launch complexes. The addition of the Junput facility would provide India with another strategic location for conducting weapons and missile trials.
Junput Testing Range to Support Chandipur
Located along the Bay of Bengal, Junput is approximately 70 km from Chandipur. The geographical proximity between the two locations could allow the new facility to complement the existing testing infrastructure in Odisha.
The Junput range is expected to help distribute the workload currently handled by the Odisha testing facility. This could provide additional capacity for defence trials and support the development and evaluation of India’s growing range of missiles and weapon systems.
Boost to India’s Defence Capabilities
The proposed DRDO facility is being viewed as an important step towards expanding India’s indigenous defence testing network. A new testing range would provide additional infrastructure for evaluating weapons and missile systems while strengthening the country’s overall defence research and development ecosystem.
For West Bengal, the project could also bring wider economic and infrastructure benefits to the region. Once developed, Junput could emerge as a significant defence technology and testing hub on India’s eastern coast.