India’s defence exports touched an all-time high of ₹38,424 crore in the financial year 2025–26, marking a sharp increase of ₹14,802 crore (62.66%) over the previous fiscal’s figure of ₹23,622 crore, the Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.
The milestone reflects strong contributions from both public and private players, with Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) accounting for 54.84% of the exports and the private sector contributing 45.16%, the MoD said.
It further mentioned that the achievement is seen as a significant step towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of positioning India among the world’s leading defence exporters.
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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the performance of the Department of Defence Production, defence exporters, and other stakeholders, saying the country is steadily advancing towards becoming a global manufacturing hub for defence equipment. In a post on X, he said that under the Prime Minister’s leadership, India is scripting an impressive defence export success story.
Exports by DPSUs surged by an impressive 151% compared to the previous year, while private sector exports rose by 14%, indicating sustained momentum across the industry. In value terms, the private sector exported defence equipment worth ₹17,353 crore, while DPSUs contributed ₹21,071 crore, compared to ₹15,233 crore and ₹8,389 crore, respectively in the previous financial year.
The Ministry further said that the latest figure represents an increase of around three times over the past five years, underlining the long-term growth of India’s defence manufacturing and export capabilities.
The sharp rise also points to the growing global acceptance of Indian-made defence products and the sector’s deeper integration into international supply chains. India exported defence equipment to more than 80 countries in FY26, supplying complete systems as well as sub-systems.
The number of registered defence exporters increased from 128 to 145 , a rise of 13.3% over the previous fiscal.
According to the government, sustained policy measures aimed at ease of doing business and export facilitation have helped create a performance-oriented and globally competitive defence industry. To support exporters, the Department of Defence Production has streamlined regulatory procedures through a revamped online portal and simplified Standard Operating Procedures for export authorisations.