02 April,2026 11:11 AM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. File pic
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that India's annual defence exports touched an all-time high of Rs 38,424 crore in the financial year 2025-26, marking an over 62 per cent growth over the previous fiscal.
As reported by news agency PTI, the "big jump" in the defence exports reflected the growing "global trust" in India's indigenous defence capabilities.
Union Defence Minister Singh further, while taking it to social media, also added that the country is "scripting an impressive defence exports success story".
Singh said, "India's 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," as cited by PTI.
"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," the defence minister further added.
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 were Rs 23,622 crore in 2024-25. It was Rs 21,083 crore in 2023-24.
Earlier, on March 24, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also chaired a high-level meeting to review India's security environment and defence preparedness in light of rapidly evolving global and regional developments, particularly the ongoing conflict in West Asia, reported news agency ANI.
The crucial meeting was attended by senior defence and military officials, including Chief of Defence Staff Anil Chauhan, Chief of Air Staff Amar Preet Singh, Chief of Army Staff Upendra Dwivedi, and Chief of Naval Staff Dinesh K Tripathi.
Also present was Defence Research and Development Organisation Chairman Samir Kamat, along with other senior officials from the defence establishment. The discussions focused on assessing India's readiness across all three armed forces and reviewing strategic contingencies in view of the current geopolitical tensions.
In a different scenario, Iran on Wednesday hit an oil tanker off the coast of Qatar and Kuwait's airport while airstrikes battered Tehran. US President Donald Trump has said he could walk away from the war once he felt confident Iran would not be able to build a nuclear weapon, even if Tehran does not agree to a ceasefire.
