India's defence exports rise 62% to hit record Rs 38,424 crore in FY26

India's annual defence exports touched an all-time high of Rs 38,424 crore in the financial year 2025-26, marking more than 62 per cent growth over the previous fiscal year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday.

The "big jump" in the defence exports reflected the growing "global trust" in India's indigenous defence capabilities, Singh said in a social media post, 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.

"This big jump of Rs 14,802 crore in defence exports reflects the growing global trust in India's indigenous capabilities and advanced manufacturing strength," he said.

With DPSUs (defence public sector undertakings) contributing 54.84 per cent and private industry 45.16 per cent, this milestone showcases the power of a collaborative and self-reliant defence ecosystem, he said.

India's defence exports in 2024-25 was Rs 23,622 crore in 2024-25. It was Rs 21,083 crore in 2023-24.

The defence ministry described defence exports in 2025-26 as a "landmark milestone".

"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.

This record high figure indicates an increase by around three times in the last five years, it said.

The ministry said the "sharp rise" highlights the increasing global acceptance of Indian made defence products and the sector's growing integration into the international supply chains.

"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.

The ministry said the government's "continuous endeavours towards ease of doing business and facilitation of defence exporters have paved the way for a performance oriented and globally competitive defence industry".

"To support defence exporters in this growth trajectory, the Department of Defence Production has streamlined defence export regulatory processes with a revamped online portal and simplified standard operation procedure for authorisations," it said.