Defence Minister Rajnath Singh noted that India, which once imported up to 70 percent of its defence equipment, now produces around 65 percent domestically.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday inaugurated two major aircraft production lines at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Nashik facility — the third line for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A and the second for the Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40). He also flagged off the first LCA Mk1A aircraft manufactured at the facility.
Speaking at the event, the defence minister described the Tejas Mk1A’s successful production as “a shining symbol of India’s growing Aatmanirbharta in defence.”
He highlighted the significant transformation in India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem over the past decade under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
“When we came to power in 2014, we realised that without self-reliance, we can never be truly secure,” he said.
Singh noted that India, which once imported up to 70 percent of its defence equipment, now produces around 65 percent domestically.
“Whatever we used to buy from abroad, we are now manufacturing it in India — be it fighter aircraft, missiles, engines, or electronic warfare systems,” he added.
Rajnath Singh said that the government aims to increase domestic defence manufacturing to 100 percent in the coming years.
He underlined that earlier challenges such as import dependency, lack of private sector participation, and inadequate focus on innovation and advanced technology had made India vulnerable and reliant on foreign suppliers.
“This challenge encouraged us to move forward with new thinking and reforms. The results are visible today,” he said.
Rajnath Singh also shared key milestones achieved by the sector, stating that India’s annual defence production has surged from Rs 46,429 crore in 2014–15 to over Rs 1.50 lakh crore in 2024–25, while exports have reached a record Rs 25,000 crore, up from less than Rs 1,000 crore a decade ago. “We have now set a target of increasing defence manufacturing to Rs 3 lakh crore and exports to Rs 50,000 crore by 2029,” he said.
On the changing face of modern warfare, Singh stressed the need for India to stay ahead in domains such as Artificial Intelligence, cyber warfare, drones, and next-generation aircraft. “India must always stay ahead in this new race, and not lag behind,” he asserted, urging HAL to expand its innovation in unmanned systems and civil aviation.
Praising HAL’s role, Rajnath Singh called it the “backbone of India’s defence sector” and commended its contributions, including support for the recently decommissioned MiG-21 fleet and its role during Operation Sindoor.
HAL has established the new LCA Mk1A production line in just two years.
