Amidst a push for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, India’s defence exports reached a record high of Rs 23,622 crore (approximately $2.76 billion) in the last financial year 2024-25. Compared to the previous fiscal year’s figure of Rs 21,083 crore, this represents an increase of Rs 2,539 crore, equivalent to a 12.04% growth.India’s defence exports are in focus amidst the India-Pakistan tensions. Indian military forces carried out Operation Sindoor on terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack. India also struck several airbases of Pakistan as the neighbouring country launched drone attacks.The success of Operation Sindoor has brought to light the accuracy of ‘Make in India’ weapon systems. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) posted on X (formerly Twitter), “India exports to around 80 countries aiming for ₹50,000 crore in exports by 2029, strengthening its global defence manufacturing footprint.” Compared to a revenue of Rs 686 crore in FY 2013-14, the FY 2024-25 number of Rs 23,622 crore is a 34 times increase, the MoD said.The export performance of Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) has demonstrated substantial improvement with a 42.85% increase in FY 2024-25, indicating strong international acceptance of Indian defence products and the sector’s capability to integrate into global supply networks, a previous MoD release said in April.In FY 2024-25, private sector contributions amounted to Rs 15,233 crore, whilst DPSUs generated Rs 8,389 crore in exports. These figures show an improvement from FY 2023-24, when private sector exports stood at Rs 15,209 crore and DPSU exports at Rs 5,874 crore.According to the Ministry of Defence, India has transformed its military capabilities, shifting from heavy import dependence to a focus on domestic manufacturing and self-sufficiency. It has made significant strides in defence exports, successfully delivering diverse military equipment including ammunition, weaponry, systems, subsystems, and various components.The Defence Production Department maintains a specialised online platform for managing export authorisation applications. The department issued 1,762 Export Authorisations in FY 2024-25, showing an increase from 1,507 in the previous year, marking a 16.92% rise. Additionally, the number of defence exporters increased by 17.4% during this period.The Government has implemented numerous policy changes in recent years to strengthen India’s defence sector, MoD said. These include streamlining industrial licensing processes, deregulating components from licensing requirements, and lengthening license validity periods. Furthermore, during the previous financial year, the Standard Operating Procedure for export authorisation underwent simplification, with additional provisions introduced to enhance the country’s export capabilities.
