- Defence exports reached a record ₹38,424 crore in FY 2025-26
- Exports grew over 60 per cent compared with the previous financial year
- Target: ₹50,000 crore in defence exports by 2029
- Private sector share in defence production to rise from about 24 per cent to 50 per cent
- 15 Champion Awards presented at the SIDM annual session in New Delhi
Defence exports hit a record ₹38,424 crore in 2025-26, Rajnath Singh said at the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) annual session in New Delhi. The exports grew by more than 60 per cent over the previous financial year.
Champion Awards go to 15 organisations
Rajnath Singh presented the SIDM Champion Awards 2026 at the event on October 09, 2026. In all, 15 organisations received the awards.
The awards recognised work in indigenous technology development, product innovation, design, import substitution, manufacturing excellence and exports. He congratulated all the awardees.
The annual session’s theme was “Sovereign Capabilities, Contested Frontiers: Accelerating India’s Strategic Autonomy in an Era of Disruption”. Singh said national security now depends on India’s ability to design, develop, manufacture and control the equipment its Defence Forces need.
Export growth and a private sector target
Singh called the shift from a major importer to a reliable exporter of advanced military hardware a significant achievement. He reiterated the goal of ₹50,000 crore in defence exports by 2029.
He recalled his earlier call to raise the private sector’s share of total defence production from about 24 per cent to 50 per cent. He said the private sector’s contribution had grown significantly over the past 12 years.
He urged industry leaders to set progressive milestones to reach that target. He also assured industry that the government would keep supporting its growth while maintaining standards of regulation, safety, quality and accountability.
R&D, surge capacity and policy support
Singh said modern warfare relies more on technology, including drones, missiles, air defence systems and fast-changing software and communications tools. He told manufacturers to treat R&D spending as an investment in operational preparedness, competitiveness and national security.
Referring to Operation Sindoor, he stressed that domestic factories must be able to scale up output quickly when needed. He urged the industry to find new ways to expand capacity and respond swiftly to changing operational demands.
He noted that SIDM, set up in 2017, represents large companies, micro, small and medium enterprises, startups, academia and foreign original equipment manufacturers. He cited government reforms such as the Defence Acquisition Procedure, the Defence Procurement Manual, the Positive Indigenisation Lists, the SRIJAN portal and Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), aimed at growing India’s private defence industry.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Director General (Acquisition) A. Anbarasu, SIDM Founder President Baba Kalyani and SIDM President Arun Ramchandani attended the event. Senior government officials, representatives of the Defence Forces and leaders of Indian and international defence companies were also present.
