Defence production records ₹1.78 lakh crore, exports surge over 5,500%: Rajnath Singh
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said India’s domestic defence production has risen nearly four-fold to a record ₹1.78 lakh crore in 2025-26, up from ₹46,000 crore in 2014. Speaking to soldiers via Akashvani on the eve of the 80th Independence Day, he credited initiatives such as ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’ for transforming the sector into a major manufacturing hub.
According to the minister, public sector undertakings accounted for about 76% of the total production, while the private sector’s share stood at 24%. He also highlighted that defence exports grew from ₹686 crore in 2013-14 to an all-time high of ₹38,424 crore in 2025-26 — an increase of more than 5,500%. India now has 145 defence exporters supplying to over 80 countries, and the government is targeting ₹50,000 crore in exports by 2029.
Mr. Singh said the defence budget has been raised from ₹2.53 lakh crore in 2013-14 to ₹7.85 lakh crore in 2026-27, with capital expenditure reaching ₹2.19 lakh crore. The allocation for research and development has increased by 90% to ₹29,100 crore over the same period.
On procurement reforms, he noted that the Defence Acquisition Council has accorded Acceptance of Necessity to projects worth more than ₹8.75 lakh crore in the past year. The financial powers of field commanders have been doubled, and procurement of over ₹1.25 lakh crore has been facilitated through the revenue route to promote indigenisation.
The minister listed recent technological achievements, including trials of the Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation system, the MIRV-equipped Advanced Agni missile, the Long-Range Land Attack Cruise Missile, RudraM-II, the Naval Anti-Ship Missile-SR, and the Pinaka Long-Range Guided Rocket. He said the successful test of an active-cooled full-scale scramjet combustor for over 1,200 seconds has placed India among nations pursuing hypersonic missile technology. The first successful test of the indigenous Kusha long-range surface-to-air missile was also cited.
Mr. Singh underlined the government’s focus on border infrastructure, welfare of serving and retired personnel, and greater participation of women in the armed forces. He mentioned the commissioning of the first batch of women cadets trained at the National Defence Academy and the tri-service all-women circumnavigation expedition, ‘Samudra Pradakshina’.
Noting that 2026 marks 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’, the Defence Minister urged citizens to celebrate Independence Day with patriotism and dedicate themselves to nation-building and the goal of Viksit Bharat.
