BENGALURU: India’s defence exports have surged to nearly Rs 38,000 crore this year and are expected to cross Rs 50,000 crore soon, signalling the country’s emergence as a major global defence technology powerhouse, according to G Satheesh Reddy, former chairman of DRDO, scientific advisor to raksha mantri and NSA Board advisor.
Speaking at ‘PanIIT Bangalore Summit 2026’, Reddy said that due to the rapid evolution of India’s indigenous defence ecosystem, the country made major advances in missile, radar, electronic warfare, tank, submarine and AI-driven warfare technologies over the past decade. Modern warfare increasingly depends on technological innovation and surprise capabilities.
Highlighting the achievements, he said India has developed quick-reaction surface-to-air missile systems capable of launching within five seconds, medium-range air defence systems, and Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) technology that enables a single missile to strike multiple targets simultaneously.
On hypersonic technologies, he said India successfully tested a scramjet engine for 1,200 seconds — claimed to be a global first — paving the way for long-range hypersonic missiles. India has also developed long-range anti-ship hypersonic missiles capable of striking targets 1,500 km away.
Reddy said India’s armed forces now have more than 2,000 indigenously developed radar systems, including Uttam radar. Work on artificial intelligence, autonomous underwater vehicles, anti-drone systems and intelligent artillery shells is progressing well.
He said India’s indigenous defence manufacturing crossed Rs 1.54 lakh crore in 2024-25, while startups, IITs and private industries are driving innovation in aerospace, drones, cyber security and quantum communication technologies.