According to the Ministry of Defense, India’s defense exports reached a record ?38,424 crore in 2025-26.
After Operation Sindoor, India’s defence procurement pattern has changed rapidly. The record proposals approved in the last 14 months indicate that the armed forces are now being prepared not just for limited retaliatory action but for long and multi-layered warfare.
The Defence Acquisition Council has approved 55 proposals since the conflict, with a total value of more than ₹9.80 lakh crore. This amount will not be spent all at once but will be allocated over several years across different deals, manufacturing programmes and modernisation schemes.
Reason for preparation: War breaking out is now a normal thing
The first reason for preparation is that the outbreak of war is becoming increasingly common. Second, stopping a war after it breaks out is no longer easy, and third, the enemy’s attempt is to continue a long and economically damaging military conflict.
Meanwhile, the new proposal aims to maintain weapons, repairs, and logistics for months. Defence experts believe that the prolonged conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia have changed India’s military thinking. However, delays in submarines and fifth-generation fighter aircraft remain major challenges.
Demand for Indian weapons increased globally after Op Sindoor
After the use of Indian weapons like BrahMos, Akash, loitering munitions, and Netra in Operation Sindoor, their demand has rapidly increased worldwide. Several countries have shown interest in purchasing them, while deals worth thousands of crores of rupees have already been concluded with some.
Their value is more than ₹21,000 crore. According to the Ministry of Defence, India’s defence exports reached a record ₹38,424 crore in 2025-26, which is 62% more than last year. Deals worth approximately ₹12,500 crore have been made with the Philippines, Vietnam and two other countries for BrahMos.
A deal worth approximately ₹3,600 crore with Indonesia is in the final approval stage. A contract worth ₹6,100 crore has already been signed with Armenia for the Akash missile system.
Exports worth ₹38,424 crore to more than 100 countries
India now exports defence equipment to more than 100 countries, with the USA, France, and Armenia being prominent among them.
America is the largest buyer, where systems and components worth USD 2.8 billion go to big companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Countries like Armenia are buying complete, ready-made weapons.
The government has set a defence export target of ₹50,000 crore by 2029-30.
In 2016-17, it was merely ₹1,522 crore. This means an increase of more than 25 times has been recorded in less than a decade.
