Balu Forge Industries has commissioned a fully indigenously built, unmanned empty-shell production line at its Belgaum greenfield facility, delivering an annual capacity of 360,000 shells with a 55-second cycle time. 

The FANUC-enabled line, developed in collaboration with 18 domestic machinery partners, strengthens India’s Atmanirbhar defence ambitions by localising high-precision ammunition manufacturing. 

The company plans to extend the platform to larger ammunition calibres and export-grade components as new contracts open up. 

This investment also positions Balu Forge among a small group of Indian firms capable of end-to-end automated defence production. 

Management noted that the new line will form the backbone for a multi-phase expansion strategy in the defence vertical.