ROCKET VISION
The govt plans a 35-acre Sivakasi Pyrotechnic Common Facility Centre (SPCFC) to help existing firecracker units improve safety and move up to supplying defence and space. Kulasekarapattinam spaceport in Tuticorin, roughly 100 km south of the Sivakasi cluster, will be a key catalyst,” she said.
The govt is also studying the feasibility of entering complex systems such as zirconium potassium perchlorate (ZPP) electro-pyrotechnic initiators, which are electrically fired igniters for rockets and missiles, with plans staggered over a decade, various people aware of the development told TOI. State industries minister S Keerthana said the ministry of defence’s indigenisation mandate has opened this supply chain to domestic MSMEs. Entry-level defence pyrotechnics require a tech transfer from DRDO’s High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), which is gaining traction nationally, while complex strategic components rely on direct partnerships with BEL, L&T Defence and DRDO DRDL, she said. Palanikumar V, director of SIDA, said local units can manufacture non-lethal pyrotechnics such as flare signals, flare guns, smoke generators, attention-creating devices and initial ignition components. Few firms are exploring the opportunities, he said, adding that fireworks manufacturing experience does not translate to military explosives, which operate under completely different chemical and safety standards.
Sivakasi firecracker manufacturers are preparing for their best Diwali in recent years, boosted by positive legal developments. But the industry has set its sights on something more ambitious: strategic manufacturing. The industry and the Tamil Nadu govt are exploring whether Sivakasi can extend its pyrotechnic expertise and know-how into defence and space manufacturing. It aims to enter the defence space with emergency flares and signal pyrotechnics, including marine distress flares, infrared decoy flares used as countermeasures on fighter jets, anti-bird airfield devices, safety signalling devices and training and simulation pyrotechnics. The govt has planned a three-stage programme spread over a decade. The first three years will focus on easy categories, and the second stage aims to get into complex systems such as IR decoy flares, smoke grenades and candles, and rocket igniters and delay elements. Over the decade, in the third stage, the govt also targets complex electronic fuzes, which are used as timed devices in modern artillery and bombs, and the supply of propellant precursors for solid rocket motors, chaff, and decoy consumables. This involves precision machining and expertise in electronics and materials science. Discussions are being held with IIT Madras, DRDO scientists and officials of the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA), which comes under the Department of Defence Production. “Sivakasi manufacturers can also supply the pyrotechnic subsystems used in launch, spaceport and range operations such as the igniters, initiators, separation devices, flight-termination ordnance, signalling and range-safety pyrotechnics and energetic activation components. Certain categories, such as signal and distress cartridges, have export potential for Southeast Asia and Africa. The South Indian Defence Suppliers and Startups Association (SIDA) played a key role in connecting the industry with DRDO scientists, IIT professors and ministry of defence officials. It is also preparing a feasibility report for the govt. Beyond explosives, local MSMEs can enter civilian sub-contracting and component making for defence PSUs where complex explosive licences are not required. Palanikumar cautioned that transitioning to defence pyrotechnics is a long-term, high-barrier effort, as defence manufacturing has strict multi-agency licensing, heavy capital requirements and multi-year qualification timelines.