In addition to soldiers, the world’s most populous nation needs a significant arsenal of cutting-edge defensive gear and software to protect its territorial sovereignty and national security. However, after gaining its independence, India had very few military exports and was forced to rely on other nations like the US, Israel, France, Russia, and France to meet the needs of its armed forces. PM Modi made the changes we needed.
As a result of the nation’s need to import everything from fighter jets to weapons, worries about India’s reliance on other nations grew. Over time, India became the global leader in the import of armaments. Defence Minister AK Antony acknowledged that the government lacked the funds to purchase weaponry during the Congress administration. According to a CAG assessment from March 2013, the nation lacked enough ammo to wage the battle for ten days.
The defence industry has undergone a significant metamorphosis and has rapidly expanded since 2014. These days, the Indian military industry produces gear for export to other countries and use by the country’s armed forces. The nation’s exports of defensive equipment have noticeably increased. Several well-known, massive weaponry manufacturers have begun producing military gear in India. Furthermore, new entrants from India have established themselves in the defence manufacturing industry. The armed forces now have more faith in made-in-India products, and pending defence projects are beginning to gather steam. All things considered, the Modi administration has been dedicated to supporting domestic defence production.
Compared to the UPA era, exports rose by more than twenty.
Under the Modi administration, India has more than doubled its weapons exports in the last ten years. This increase is a result of the nation producing defence products of superior quality. Notably, countries like Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Armenia are entering into multi-crore defence agreements with India to acquire defence supplies, including missiles for Brahmo. An analysis of the data indicates that India exported military products valued at Rs 4312 crore during the 2004–14 UPA regime.
During the ten years of the Modi administration, defence exports increased by approximately 1900% to Rs 88,319 crore (2014–2024).
The nation’s defence exports reached a record high of Rs 21,083 crores in the fiscal year 2023–24 alone, up from Rs 15,920 crores in the previous year. This indicates a noteworthy rise of 32.5 percent in just a single year. Notable is the fact that government defence production facilities accounted for 60% of these defence exports, which were valued at over Rs 12,000 crores.
India has supplied Armenia with significant defensive hardware, such as air defence systems, Pinaka rocket systems, ATAGS (artillery guns), and Swathi radars. Similarly, India has exported BrahMos missiles to the Philippines. Bangladesh has been buying defence supplies from India regularly. India has emerged from the shadows throughout the past 10 years of the Modi administration, going from being a mere importer of weapons to making significant progress in exporting and producing defence gear through the Atmanirbhar weapons and Made in India programmes.
Over the past ten years, Indian defence manufacturers have made considerable strides, but multinational businesses also choose to locate their manufacturing operations in India. Notably, a Korean business is cooperating with L&T to make Howitzer weapons, while Israel’s IWI is working with the PLR company to manufacture rifles in the nation. Similarly, in Vadodara, Gujarat, Airbus produces C-295 aircraft for the Indian Air Force. Elbit Systems and Aerospace, an Israeli company, also collaborated with Adani to produce the Drishti 10 Starliner UAV, the first “Made in India” long-endurance drone, for the Indian Navy.
The Defence Ministry has started to issue several “import embargo” or negative weaponry import lists in an effort to encourage self-sufficiency. The Modi administration released in May of last year a list of 928 military goods that will be subject to a gradual import ban from December 2023 to December 2029. The defence hardware on the “import embargo” list can only be bought from Indian producers and will not be imported unless there are extraordinary circumstances. The MoD has released five such lists thus far, including various types of ammunition and parts used in battleships, trainer aircraft, and fighter jets.
Soldiers are designing weapons, while new entrepreneurs are getting opportunities.
The defence manufacturing scene in India is changing, involving both established government companies and emerging startups. The IDEX programme was introduced by the national government in 2018. As part of this plan, young defence entrepreneurs can apply for grants totaling ₹50 crores to support specific projects. This has increased the industry’s diversity and stimulated young innovators’ interest in defensive technology. The Ministry of Defence recently signed an agreement for ₹200 crores under IDEX, giving two companies the responsibility of producing drones.
The armed forces are seeing an increase in creative designs coming from within. Pratap Bansod, an Indian Army officer, appears to have been primarily responsible for developing the cutting-edge machine pistol known as ASMI. The Indian Army has agreed to buy five hundred ASMI handguns. ASMI offers a more affordable option than its foreign-made equivalents while boasting local production.
Several projects on hold for years are finally strengthening the nation’s defence.
Defence projects on hold for decades were accelerated under the Modi administration. Under the Modi administration, projects started in the 1980s underwent development. The indigenous combat aircraft of India, the LCA Tejas, is a prominent example of this. Tejas was approved in the 1980s, and in 2001, under the Vajpayee government, it made its first successful flight. From then on, the project just kept moving slowly forward.
Under the Modi administration, the project gained momentum. Tejas was initially enlisted in the Air Force in 2015. The Indian Air Force currently operates about 40 Tejas Mk1 aircraft, and it has an order with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for roughly 83 further Tejas Mk1 (better variants of Tejas Mark-1A). It was long overdue, but the Indian Air Force had acquired lethal combat helicopters. The army has also ordered 550 Arjun Mark-1 tanks to be produced.
The Modi administration was largely responsible for the construction of the nation’s current indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant. In August 2022, Prime Minister Modi dedicated it to the country. With a 45,000-ton displacement, this carrier has been in the works.
In addition, the Modi administration has bolstered the armed forces by concluding several protracted defence agreements. The Air Force’s purchase of 36 Rafale fighters is the largest illustration. The Modi administration signed a government-to-government agreement with France to acquire the latest generation fighter aircraft that the Air Force had long needed. The Modi administration has also purchased helicopters like the Apache and Chinook to strengthen the Air Force’s capabilities. The Modi administration has purchased firearms from the SIG Sauer business for the Indian army.
Upcoming projects
Modern technology is being used to modernise the Indian armed forces, and considerable efforts are being made. The Modi administration has approved the creation of fifth-generation combat aircraft. By 2030, it is anticipated that these jets will take off for the first time. In addition, the Navy is making efforts to purchase new submarines. The army is developing a new lightweight tank with the primary goal of opposing China. Other missiles are also being worked on; many have successfully completed testing.
