Defence Ministry targets Rs 50,000 crore in exports by 2029 after success of ‘Operation Sindoor’


Defence Minister’s workplace mentioned that India’s defence sector is rising stronger than ever, pushed by the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Defence exports have jumped from Rs 686 crore in 2013-14 to ₹23,622 crore in 2024-25-a 34-fold rise.

New Delhi:

Operation Sindoor emerged as a calibrated navy response to an evolving sample of uneven warfare, one which more and more targets unarmed civilians together with navy personnel. The terrorist assault on vacationers in Pahalgam on April 22 served as a grim reminder of this shift. India’s response was deliberate, exact, and strategic. With out crossing the Line of Management (LoC) or worldwide boundary, Indian forces struck terrorist infrastructure and eradicated a number of threats. Nevertheless, past tactical brilliance, what stood out was the seamless integration of indigenous hi-tech methods into nationwide defence. Whether or not in drone warfare, layered air defence, or digital warfare, Operation Sindoor marks a milestone in India’s journey in the direction of technological self-reliance in navy operations.

Drones at centre of recent warfare

The combination of drone warfare into India’s navy doctrine owes its success to years of home R&D and coverage reform. Since 2021, the ban on imported drones and the launch of the PLI (Manufacturing Linked Incentive) scheme have catalysed fast innovation. The scheme of Manufacturing Linked Incentive for drones and drone elements of the Ministry of Civil Aviation was notified on September 30, 2021 with a complete incentive of Rs 120 crores unfold over three Monetary Years (FYs), FY 2021-22 to FY 2023-24. The long run lies in autonomous drones with AI-driven decision-making, and India is already laying the groundwork.

Purpose to extend defence exports by 2029

Defence exports crossed the report determine of about Rs 24,000 crore within the Monetary 12 months 2024-25. The intention is to extend the determine to Rs 50,000 crore by 2029, and make India a developed nation and the world’s largest defence exporter by 2047. 

Make in India continues to energy development of defence sector

India has emerged as a significant defence manufacturing hub, pushed by the Make in India initiative and a powerful push for self-reliance. In FY 2023–24, indigenous defence manufacturing reached a report Rs 1.27 lakh crore, whereas exports soared to Rs 23,622 crore in FY 2024–25, a 34-fold enhance from 2013–14. 

Strategic reforms, personal sector involvement, and sturdy R&D have led to the event of superior navy platforms like-

  • Dhanush Artillery Gun System
  • Superior Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS)
  • Major Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun
  • Gentle Specialist Automobiles
  • Excessive Mobility Automobiles
  • Gentle Fight Plane (LCA) Tejas
  • Superior Gentle Helicopter (ALH)
  • Gentle Utility Helicopter (LUH)
  • Akash Missile System
  • Weapon Finding Radar
  • 3D Tactical Management Radar
  • Software program Outlined Radio (SDR)
  • Naval property like destroyers, indigenous plane carriers, submarines, frigates, corvettes, quick patrol vessels, quick assault craft, and offshore patrol vessels

The federal government has backed this development with report procurement contracts, improvements below iDEX, drives like SRIJAN, and two Defence Industrial Corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Key acquisitions comparable to LCH (Gentle Fight Helicopters) Prachand helicopters and the ATAGS (Approval for Superior Towed Artillery Gun System) spotlight the shift in the direction of indigenous functionality. With targets of Rs 3 lakh crore in manufacturing and Rs 50,000 crore in exports by 2029, India is firmly positioning itself as a self-reliant and globally aggressive defence manufacturing energy.

Operation Sindoor is not only a narrative of tactical success. It’s a validation of India’s defence indigenisation insurance policies. From air defence methods to drones, from counter-UAS capabilities to net-centric warfare platforms, indigenous expertise has delivered when it mattered most. The fusion of private-sector innovation, public-sector execution, and navy imaginative and prescient has enabled India to not solely defend its individuals and territory but additionally assert its position as a hi-tech navy energy within the twenty first century. In future conflicts, the battlefield will more and more be formed by expertise. And India, as proven in Operation Sindoor, is prepared, armed with its personal improvements, backed by a decided state, and powered by the ingenuity of its individuals.

Air Defence Capabilities: Tech as 1st Line of Safety

On the night time of 07-08 Might 2025, Pakistan tried to have interaction a lot of navy targets in Northern and Western India together with Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, utilizing drones and missiles. These have been neutralised by the Built-in Counter UAS (Unmanned Aerial Techniques) Grid and Air Defence methods.

Air Defence methods detect, monitor, and neutralise threats utilizing a community of radars, management centres, artillery, and each aircraft- and ground-based missiles. On the morning of Might 8, the Indian Armed Forces focused Air Defence Radars and methods at a lot of places in Pakistan. An Air Defence system at Lahore was neutralised.

Efficiency of methods

As a part of Operation SINDOOR, the next have been used-

  • Battle-proven AD (Air Defence) methods just like the Pechora, OSA-AK and LLAD weapons (Low-level air defence weapons).
  • Indigenous methods such because the Akash, which demonstrated stellar efficiency

India’s Air Defence Techniques, combining property from the Military, Navy, and primarily the Air Pressure, carried out with distinctive synergy. These methods created an impenetrable wall, foiling a number of makes an attempt by Pakistan to retaliate.

The Built-in Air Command and Management System (IACCS) of the Indian Air Pressure introduced all these parts collectively, offering the net-centric operational functionality important for contemporary warfare.

Offensive Actions with Pinpoint Accuracy

India’s offensive strikes focused key Pakistani airbases- Noor Khan and Rahimyar Khan with surgical precision. Loitering munitions have been used to devastating impact, every discovering and destroying high-value targets, together with enemy radar and missile methods.

All strikes have been executed with out lack of Indian property, underscoring the effectiveness of our surveillance, planning, and supply methods. The usage of fashionable indigenous expertise, from long-range drones to guided munitions, made these strikes extremely efficient and politically calibrated.

Proof of Neutralized Threats

Operation SINDOOR additionally produced concrete proof of hostile applied sciences neutralised by Indian methods:

  • Items of PL-15 missiles (of Chinese language origin)
  • Turkish-origin UAVs, named “Yiha” or “YEEHAW”
  • Lengthy-range rockets, quadcopters and industrial drones

These have been recovered and recognized, exhibiting that regardless of Pakistan’s makes an attempt to use superior foreign-supplied weaponry, India’s indigenous air defence and digital warfare networks remained superior.

Efficiency of Techniques: Air Defence Measures of the Indian Military

On Might 12, Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, Director Normal Navy Operations, within the Operation SINDOOR press briefing highlighted the superb efficiency of a mixture of legacy and fashionable methods:

Preparedness and Coordination

Since exact strikes on terrorists have been performed with out crossing the Line of Management or Worldwide Boundary, it was anticipated Pakistan’s response would come from throughout the border. A novel mix of Counter Unmanned Aerial Techniques, Digital Warfare property, and Air Defence Weapons from each Military and Air Pressure.

A number of defensive layers from the Worldwide Boundary inward-

  • Counter Unmanned Aerial Techniques
  • Shoulder-Fired Weapons
  • Legacy Air Defence Weapons
  • Trendy Air Defence Weapon Techniques

This multi-tier defence prevented Pakistan Air Pressure assaults on our airfields and logistic installations throughout the night time of Might 9-10. These methods, constructed over the past decade with steady authorities funding, proved to be pressure multipliers throughout the operation. They performed a vital position in making certain that each civilian and navy infrastructure throughout India remained largely unaffected throughout enemy retaliation makes an attempt.

ISRO’s contribution: At an occasion on Might 11, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan talked about that no less than 10 satellites are repeatedly working round the clock for the strategic function to make sure the security and safety of the residents of the nation. To make sure the security of the nation, the nation has to serve by means of its satellites. It has to observe its 7,000 km seashore areas. It has to observe your complete Northern half repeatedly. With out satellite tv for pc and drone expertise, the nation can’t obtain that.

Enterprise of Drone Energy: A Rising Indigenous Business

The Drone Federation India (DFI), is a premier business physique representing over 550 drone corporations and 5500 drone pilots. DFI’s imaginative and prescient is to make India a world drone hub by 2030, and it promotes the design, improvement, manufacturing, adoption and export of Indian drone and counter-drone expertise worldwide. DFI permits ease of doing enterprise, promotes the adoption of drone expertise, and hosts a number of applications like Bharat Drone Mahotsav. Some corporations concerned within the drone house are: