New Delhi: Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh declared on Thursday that India’s annual defence production soared to a record ₹1.46 trillion in 2024–25 (FY25), marking an almost 15% increase from the previous year’s ₹1.27 trillion at the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) annual business summit in New Delhi.
He also revealed that defence exports reached an all-time high in the last financial year, exceeding ₹24,000 crore—an increase of nearly 14% from ₹21,083 crore in FY24.
Highlighting the emerging role of private industry, Singh noted that the private sector contributed over ₹32,000 crore to defence production, accounting for around 22% of the total output. He made these remarks while addressing the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) annual business summit in New Delhi.
Make-in-India is not just an economic initiative, it’s a pillar of our national security
Addressing industry leaders, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced a remarkable shift in India’s defence sector, stating that for the first time, the private sector will participate in a major defence project alongside public sector enterprises under the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme. The execution model for the AMCA project was approved on Tuesday.
“As part of the AMCA project, five prototypes will be developed initially, followed by full-scale series production. This is a significant milestone in the journey of the Make-in-India initiative,” Singh said.
Highlighting the broader economic context, Singh noted India’s emergence as the world’s fourth-largest economy and underscored the defence sector’s crucial role in this rise. “A decade ago, India’s defence production stood at around ₹43,000 crore. Today, it has reached a record ₹1.46 trillion, with the private sector contributing more than ₹32,000 crore,” he stated.
Referring to Operation Sindoor—India’s targeted strikes on terrorist locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) between May 7 and 10—Singh emphasized the importance of indigenous defence capabilities. “Make-in-India is not just an economic initiative; it’s a pillar of our national security. It played a key role in India’s swift and effective response during Operation Sindoor,” he asserted.
He also mentioned the remarkable growth in defence exports, which increased from just ₹600–700 crore ten years ago to over ₹24,000 crore today. “Our weapons, systems, sub-systems, components, and services are now being exported to nearly 100 countries,” he added.
