India’s Defence exports have touched a new all-time high with a record Rs 38,424 crore in FY 2025-26, according to the Defence minister.
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India’s defence exports have surged to an all-time high, touching Rs 38,424 crore in the financial year 2025-26, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced on Thursday. The sharp rise, amounting to a growth of over 62 per cent compared to the previous fiscal, underscores India’s rapidly expanding footprint in the global defence market and the increasing confidence of foreign buyers in indigenous military hardware.
In a social media post, Singh described the achievement as a “big jump” and said it reflected the growing “global trust” in India’s indigenous defence capabilities and advanced manufacturing strength. “India defence exports have touched a new all-time high with a record Rs 38,424 crore in FY 2025-26. It marks a robust 62.66 per cent growth over the previous fiscal,” he said, adding that the country is “scripting an impressive defence exports success story”.
“India defence exports have touched a new all-time high with a record Rs 38,424 crore in FY 2025-26. It marks a robust 62.66 per cent growth over the previous fiscal,” the defence minister said.
According to the defence minister, the increase of Rs 14,802 crore in exports over the previous year highlights the success of India’s push towards self-reliance in defence. The contribution has been broad-based, with Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) accounting for 54.84 per cent of the exports and the private sector contributing 45.16 per cent. Singh said this balance showcases the power of a collaborative and self-reliant defence ecosystem.
Defence exports stood at Rs 23,622 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 21,083 crore in 2023-24, indicating a steep upward trajectory over the last few years. The Ministry of Defence described the 2025-26 figure as a “landmark milestone” and said the record high represents an increase of around three times in the last five years.
“This accomplishment of the Indian defence industry is in line with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to position India among the world’s top defence exporters,” it said.
“In terms of value of contribution, the private sector accounted for Rs 17,353 crore worth of defence exports, while DPSUs contributed Rs 21,071 crore. Their respective figures in the previous financial year stood at Rs 15,233 crore and Rs 8,389 crore,” it said.
Providing a breakdown of the latest numbers, the ministry noted that the private sector exported defence equipment worth Rs 17,353 crore in 2025-26, while DPSUs contributed Rs 21,071 crore. In the previous financial year, these figures stood at Rs 15,233 crore for the private sector and Rs 8,389 crore for DPSUs, indicating a particularly sharp rise in exports from the public sector units.
“Apart from being a successful global partner for systems/sub-systems, India is exporting defence equipment to more than 80 countries as of FY 2025-26. The number of exporters underwent a surge to 145 from 128, a 13.3 per cent rise from the previous fiscal,” it said.
(With inputs from PTI)
April 02, 2026, 19:25 IST
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