India is on track to meet its Rs 50,000 crore defence export goal by 2028, two years earlier than planned, driven by rising overseas demand, domestic manufacturing growth, and strategic government initiatives.
India is on course to hit its Rs 50,000 crore defence-export target by 2028, two years earlier than the government’s 2030 goal, as overseas demand for its military equipment continues to rise, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said at a Public Affairs Forum of India conference in New Delhi. He said the country had already secured Rs 38,000 crore in orders over the past year, underscoring how quickly the sector has expanded as domestic production capacity has deepened. According to recent reporting by The Times of India and Moneycontrol, India’s defence exports have now reached record levels, reflecting a sharp climb from the modest base seen little more than a decade ago.
Official figures cited this week put defence exports at Rs 38,424 crore in 2025-26, compared with just Rs 686 crore in 2013-14, a rise that has become a central talking point for the government’s Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat manufacturing drives. The Times of India reported that exports touched Rs 23,622 crore in 2024-25, while Janes said the Ministry of Defence previously recorded Rs 21,083 crore in 2023-24, with private-sector firms accounting for 60% of that total. Taken together, those numbers suggest a sector that has moved from niche supplier status to a more material presence in global arms markets.
Singh said India’s price advantage is proving especially important in missiles, where he argued Indian systems can be sold at around a quarter of the price charged by some foreign original equipment manufacturers. He also pointed to demand for artillery, mounted gun systems and the Akash surface-to-air missile system, while naming BrahMos as one of India’s best-known export offerings. His comments reflect a broader shift in the country’s defence industrial base, where the government wants more competition and more suppliers across key categories.
That expansion is also being used to build a more durable export footprint. Singh said defence sales abroad create long-term ties with buyer countries through maintenance, spares and wider support services, while also bringing in foreign exchange and jobs. He added that the government wants at least two or three fighter aircraft production lines, several missile makers and a much larger pool of drone producers, and said proposals for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme are already being assessed from three shortlisted companies. The result, if the momentum holds, could be a defence sector that is not only larger, but more diversified and less dependent on a handful of state-run suppliers.
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