New Delhi, April 1 India’s defence exports surged to a record high of Rs 23,622 crore (about $2.76 billion) in the just-concluded FY25 -- a growth of Rs 2,539 crore or 12.04 per cent compared to Rs 21,083 crore in FY24, the government said on Tuesday.
The defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) have shown a significant increase of 42.85 per cent in their exports in FY25, reflecting the growing acceptability of Indian products in the global market and the ability of the Indian defence industry to be a part of the global supply chain.
The private sector and DPSUs have contributed Rs 15,233 crore and Rs 8,389 crore, respectively, in defence exports in FY25, whereas the corresponding figures for FY24 were Rs 15,209 crore and Rs 5,874 crore, respectively.
In a post on social media platform X, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is marching towards achieving the target of increasing defence exports to Rs 50,000 crore by 2029.
India has evolved from a largely import-dependent military force to one increasingly focused on self-reliance and indigenous production.
In a major boost to defence exports, wide range of items from ammunition, arms, sub-systems/systems and parts and components have been exported to around 80 countries in the just-concluded fiscal.
According to the ministry, the Department of Defence Production has a dedicated portal for application and processing of export authorisation requests, and 1,762 Export Authorisation were issued in FY 2024-25 compared to 1,507 in the preceding year, registering a growth of 16.92 per cent.
The total number of exporters also grew by 17.4 per cent in the same period.
The government aims to achieve Rs 3 lakh crore in defence production by 2029, reinforcing the country’s position as a global defence manufacturing hub. About 65 per cent of defence equipment is now manufactured domestically, a significant shift from the earlier 65-70 per cent import dependency.
A robust defence industrial base includes 16 DPSUs, over 430 licensed companies, and approximately 16,000 MSMEs, strengthening indigenous production capabilities, according to the Ministry of Defence.
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