The Indigenous Technologies Finding Markets Beyond India

From BrahMos and Akash to Pinaka and the Dhruv helicopter, India’s defence-export story is moving beyond headline missile deals. As the country targets ₹50,000 crore in annual exports by 2029, upcoming exhibitions in Chile and Vietnam will test whether Indian systems can become long-term global defence businesses.

India’s defence-export story is entering a new phase.

The headline number is already difficult to ignore: ₹38,424 crore in defence exports during FY2025–26, a 62.66% increase from the previous year. Indian defence products now reach more than 80 countries, while the government has set a target of ₹50,000 crore in annual defence exports by 2029.

But the more interesting question is not how much India exports.

It is what the world is buying—and whether those products can develop into lasting international defence relationships.

That question will become particularly relevant in December, when two major Latin American and Southeast Asian defence exhibitions take place: ExpoNaval 2026 in Santiago, Chile, from December 1–3, followed by Vietnam International Defence Expo 2026 in Hanoi from December 10–13. ExpoNaval says its 2026 event will bring together companies, governments and industry experts around naval technology, shipbuilding, maritime security and unmanned systems.

For India’s defence industry, these are not simply trade shows.

They are opportunities to test whether “Made in India” can become a recognised defence brand across different regions and requirements.

BrahMos has already changed the conversation

The clearest example is BrahMos.

The supersonic cruise missile is a joint India-Russia programme involving India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyenia. But its export story has increasingly become an Indian industrial success story.

The Philippines became the first foreign customer, signing a contract in 2022 for the BrahMos shore-based anti-ship missile system. BrahMos itself describes the Philippines agreement as a landmark export contract and says the company is now pursuing markets across Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

Vietnam represents an even more strategically interesting development.

In May, India’s Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said that a BrahMos agreement with Vietnam had been signed, while an Indonesian agreement was in its final stages. The reported potential value of the Vietnam package was around ₹6,000 crore, or approximately $629 million, including training and logistical support. However, the governments and BrahMos had not publicly disclosed the detailed contract terms. Reuters

That distinction matters.

The important story is not simply the dollar figure. It is that a system jointly developed by India and Russia is increasingly being positioned as part of India’s own international defence-export portfolio.

And Vietnam is strategically significant because Southeast Asia sits at the intersection of maritime security, freedom of navigation and intensifying geopolitical competition.

Akash demonstrates another export model

BrahMos is not India’s only successful missile export.

The Akash surface-to-air missile system has also moved into the international market. Armenia agreed to acquire 15 Akash systems in a deal reported at approximately ₹6,000 crore, making it the first foreign customer for the system. DRDO

Akash is particularly important because it represents a different kind of export proposition.

It is not simply a missile. A complete air-defence capability involves launchers, surveillance and fire-control radars, command-and-control systems, missiles, training and logistical support.

That means every export order potentially creates a longer industrial relationship.

India’s defence-export ambitions increasingly depend on precisely this transition—from selling equipment to supporting an entire capability.

Pinaka is moving from Indian battlefield requirement to export product

Another significant example is the Pinaka multiple-launch rocket system.

In January 2026, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off the first tranche of guided Pinaka rockets for Armenia during a visit to a Solar Defence & Aerospace facility in Nagpur. The Ministry of Defence said exports of Pinaka had begun, highlighting the growing role of private industry in ammunition and missile production.

This is significant for two reasons.

First, Pinaka demonstrates that India’s export basket is expanding beyond aircraft and missiles into sophisticated artillery and rocket systems.

Second, the Armenian order illustrates how India’s private defence manufacturers are becoming part of the export ecosystem.

That matters for India’s long-term ambitions because defence exports cannot be built by government-owned companies alone.

Dhruv shows why after-sales support matters

The HAL Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv offers another lesson.

HAL says more than 340 Dhruv helicopters have been produced and that the helicopter operates overseas with the Mauritius Police and Nepal Army. HAL also maintains customer-support bases in Nepal, Maldives and Mauritius. HAL India

This is perhaps less glamorous than a missile launch, but commercially it may be just as important.

A defence customer does not purchase an aircraft and forget about it.

Helicopters require maintenance, overhaul, spare parts, training and technical support throughout their operating life.

India’s ability to establish overseas maintenance and support infrastructure could therefore become one of its most valuable competitive advantages.

The real export opportunity is the life cycle—not just the initial contract.

Tejas illustrates the difference between interest and export success

India’s Light Combat Aircraft Tejas attracts considerable international attention, but its story needs to be treated differently.

Malaysia formally evaluated the Tejas for its fighter-lead-in-trainer requirement, and India responded to Malaysia’s RFP. Other countries have also expressed interest in the aircraft. But interest, evaluation and participation in an international competition are not the same as an export contract.

That distinction is important for India’s defence narrative.

A credible global defence industry cannot be built on potential orders alone.

It needs signed contracts, deliveries, operational experience, customer satisfaction and long-term support.

Tejas therefore remains a major example of India’s ambition to enter the global combat-aircraft market, rather than evidence that India has already established itself as a fighter-export power.

Vietnam could become the bigger strategic test

Vietnam Defence Expo 2026 follows only days after ExpoNaval and is particularly significant for India’s Southeast Asian strategy.

The official BrahMos website already lists the Vietnam Defence Expo, scheduled for 10–13 December 2026 at Gia Lam Airport in Hanoi, among its upcoming exhibitions.

Vietnam also has a rapidly evolving security environment and a major maritime interest in the South China Sea.

India and Vietnam elevated their relationship to an enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership in May 2026, with defence and maritime security among the areas discussed. Brahmos

For Indian manufacturers, Vietnam therefore represents more than a possible weapons customer.

It is a potential long-term strategic and industrial market in Southeast Asia.

The next export battle will be about technology—and service

India’s defence production reached ₹1.78 lakh crore in FY2025–26, with the private sector contributing about ₹42,000 crore, or 24%.

The government also reports that defence R&D allocation has increased substantially and that 25% of the defence R&D budget has been opened to industry, startups and academia.

This creates the foundation for the next stage.

But India’s biggest challenge is not simply producing more.

It is developing technology that customers cannot easily replace.

Sensors, electronic warfare, secure communications, software, artificial intelligence, propulsion, autonomous systems, radars and integrated command-and-control architectures are increasingly central to modern military capability.

And international customers will increasingly judge India on something else: what happens after delivery.

Can an Indian supplier provide training?

Can it maintain equipment overseas?

Can it supply spare parts for decades?

Can software be upgraded?

Can systems integrate with equipment from other countries?

Can the supplier provide predictable financing and logistics?

These questions will determine whether India’s export surge becomes permanent.

A new opportunity for India’s global professional community

There is also a legitimate Overseas Indian dimension to this transformation.

India’s defence industry is becoming more connected to global engineering, manufacturing, cybersecurity, aerospace, electronics and maritime-technology networks.

Indian-origin professionals working in Europe, Southeast Asia, Latin America and other markets could increasingly encounter Indian companies not simply as software suppliers or engineering contractors, but as technology and defence-industry partners.

That does not mean diaspora professionals can bypass export controls or national-security regulations. Defence remains one of the world’s most heavily regulated industries.

But the professional networks of the Indian diaspora can contribute to something strategically valuable: knowledge of international markets and the ability to connect India’s industrial capabilities with global technical and commercial ecosystems.

From exporter to global defence partner

India’s defence-export numbers show that the transformation is already under way.

Exports have risen from just ₹686 crore in FY2013–14 to ₹38,424 crore in FY2025–26, while Indian defence products now reach more than 80 countries. Press Information Bureau

But the next phase will be considerably harder.

India must move from individual successes to repeat customers, integrated systems, proprietary technologies, overseas support networks and long-term industrial partnerships.

BrahMos has provided one model.

Akash and Pinaka are providing others.

Dhruv demonstrates the importance of life-cycle support.

Tejas illustrates how difficult it is to turn international interest into a completed export programme.

And exhibitions such as ExpoNaval Chile and Vietnam Defence Expo will provide another test of India’s ability to convert technology into international business.

The real measure of India’s defence-export revolution will therefore not be how many weapons it displays abroad. It will be how many foreign militaries continue to depend on Indian technology years after the exhibition booths have disappeared.

Why this story matters to Overseas Indians

The growth of exports can create opportunities for Indian-origin engineers, aerospace professionals, cybersecurity specialists, maritime experts, technology entrepreneurs, consultants and international business professionals working around the world.

It also changes the way India’s global economic identity is perceived.

For decades, India’s international technology story was dominated by IT services.

The emerging defence-export story adds another layer:

Indian-designed systems, Indian manufacturing, Indian engineering and Indian after-sales capability increasingly competing in international strategic markets.

That is a much bigger story than a defence exhibition.