New Delhi: India’s defence exports recorded a 34-fold increase in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led regimes. The exports recorded a significant jump, Rs 686 crore in 2013–14 to Rs 23,622 crore in 2024–25. The Modi government has set a target of raising the defence exports to Rs 30,000 crore this year and Rs 50,000 crore by the year 2029.

“Defence products made in our country are being exported to about 100 countries. Our defence exports should reach Rs 30,000 crore this year and Rs 50,000 crore by the year 2029,” Rajnath Singh said in April 2025.

Moving ahead with the motto ‘Aatmanirbhar Abhiyaan’, the government has emphasised on Make in India equipment for the armed forces. It has reserved 75 per cent of the defence budget for procurement from domestic companies. Singh said the government has set a target of defence production In India crossing Rs 1.60 lakh crore this year and produce defence equipment worth Rs 3 lakh crore by the year 2029.

The Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) recorded a 42.85 per cent jump in their exports in the FY 2024-25. The private sector and DPSUs contributed Rs 15,233 crore and Rs 8,389 crore respectively in defence exports of 2024-25.

The government’s Make in India programme has helped the country increasingly focus on self-reliance and indigenous production. Now, India exports a wide range of defence equipment, like ammunition, arms, sub-systems/systems and parts & components. The Defence Ministry confirmed that India exported defence items to around 80 countries in 2024-25.

“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%. The total number of exporters also grew by 17.4% in the same period,” the Ministry of Defence reported.