India vs WorldVerified
Rajnath Singh sets 2029 goal of ₹3 lakh crore defence output and ₹50,000 crore exports
Defence production reached a record of about ₹1.78 lakh crore in 2025-26 and exports ₹38,424 crore, he told the Delhi Defence Dialogue.
India wants to move "beyond procuring defence technologies towards creating them", Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday, setting out production and export targets for 2029.
Speaking at the third Delhi Defence Dialogue at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), Singh said defence production reached a record of about ₹1.78 lakh crore in 2025-26 and defence exports rose to ₹38,424 crore. Indian defence products now reach more than 80 countries. The government aims to reach ₹3 lakh crore in production and ₹50,000 crore in exports by 2029.
"Technological sovereignty"
"Military preparedness in the 21st century is intrinsically linked to technological and industrial capabilities," Singh said. He described self-reliance as a quest for technological sovereignty, which he said means having the knowledge to design a platform, the technology to make it, the intellectual property to improve it and the capability to sustain it through its life.
He said recent conflicts around the world have shown a change in warfare, extending into space, cyberspace and the digital domain, with relatively inexpensive drones and autonomous systems challenging costly platforms.
Private industry and partnerships
Singh pointed to Defence Industrial Corridors and the corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board into seven defence public sector undertakings. He said opportunities for private participation exist in programmes such as the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, propulsion systems, ATAGS, artillery ammunition and shipbuilding.
On foreign partnerships, he called for co-development, co-production and shared innovation, with meaningful Indian participation in design, access to critical technologies and appropriate sharing of intellectual property. He also asked for exports to cover maintenance, repair, training, logistics and technology cooperation.
About the dialogue
The two-day event, on 3 and 4 November, is organised by MP-IDSA on the theme "Defence Reforms, Aatmanirbharta, Collaborations and Exports". CISC Air Marshal Tejinder Singh and foreign dignitaries attended the opening.
Photos
Source: official release by the Ministry of Defence, issued through the Press Information Bureau, Government of India (03 NOV 2026 5:44PM by PIB Delhi). Read the full official text: Indigenous production & independent sustenance of critical defence capabilities key for military preparedness in 21st century: Raksha Mantri at Delhi Defence Dialogue 2026.
How we verified this
VerifiedEvery fact, figure and quotation is taken from the official PIB release (Release ID 2332148) issued by the Ministry of Defence on 03 NOV 2026 5:44PM by PIB Delhi; checked against the source on publication. Story written by BDT from that release; no outside facts added.
Sources
- 1.Indigenous production & independent sustenance of critical defence capabilities key for military preparedness in 21st century: Raksha Mantri at Delhi Defence Di — Press Information Bureau, Government of India
