INDIA'S DEFENCE INDUSTRY BREAKS NEW GROUND

India's defence production has soared to historic levels, reflecting a shift from dependency to self-reliance, fuelled by ambition, policy, and human ingenuity.

- By Team ET Now Machinist

For decades, India’s defence sector carried the weight of dependency. From fighter jets to basic protective gear, the country leaned heavily on foreign suppliers. But today, the script is changing. India's defence production has surged to RS. 1,50,590 crore (US$17.2 billion) in fiscal year 2024-25, an 18% rise over the previous year and almost double the figure from just five years ago. It is not just an economic statistic; it is a story of confidence, ambition, and a workforce determined to craft a more secure and self-reliant nation.

NUMBERS THAT TELL A BIGGER STORY

The figures themselves are staggering. In 2019-20, defence production was about RS. 79,000 crore. Today, that number has nearly doubled. More importantly, the growth is being driven not only by traditional state-run Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) but also by private firms, which contributed 23% of total production in FY25, up from 21% the year before.

The private sector's pace is even faster, expanding at 28% year-on-year compared with 16% for DPSUs. For a country where public enterprises once dominated every corner of defence, this shift signals something deeper: a growing confidence among entrepreneurs and engineers that they, too, can shape the arsenal that protects India.

THE HUMAN ENGINES BEHIND THE MACHINES