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India, a BRICS powerhouse, recorded 62% growth in Defense exports and reached the US$ 4.11 billion mark in military revenue by March 2026. The country sells drones, missiles, and artillery systems to over 80 countries and announced a new US$ 25 billion modernization package, consolidating its position as one of the world’s largest arms suppliers.
India has just confirmed that its strategy to become an arms exporting power is working. According to official data released by the government, the country’s **Defense** sector **exports** reached US$ 4.11 billion by March 2026, a 62% growth compared to the previous period, when the value had been US$ 2.52 billion. This leap places the world’s largest democracy and a member of **BRICS** in a prominent position in the global arms market, with sales to over 80 **countries** that include everything from ammunition and light weapons to sophisticated platforms such as attack **drones** and the BrahMos supersonic cruise **missile**.
This advance is not accidental. It results from a deliberate industrial policy initiated in 2014 with the Make in India program, which encourages technology transfer and the expansion of productive capacity in at least 27 sectors of the economy, including **Defense**. For **BRICS**, which brings together emerging powers seeking greater prominence on the international stage, India’s rise as an arms supplier alters the balance of a market historically dominated by the **United States**, Russia, and Europe.
Where did India’s 62% jump in Defense exports come from?
According to information released by Revista Fórum, the growth from US$ 2.52 billion to US$ 4.11 billion in a single year reflects the maturation of investments that the Indian government has been making for over a decade. **The Make in India program transformed the Defense sector from a dependent importer into a competitive exporter**, attracting national and foreign companies to produce armaments on Indian soil with local or transferred technology.
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**India’s** **export** portfolio has diversified rapidly. **In addition to ammunition and light weapons, the country now offers artillery systems, military vessels, and drones with artificial intelligence technology**, products that are finding growing demand in **countries** in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The combination of competitive prices and increasing technological capability has positioned **India** as a viable alternative to traditional suppliers for nations seeking to modernize their armed forces without relying exclusively on Washington or Moscow.
The drones and missiles that put India on the global Defense map
The **drone** sector is where **India** has advanced the most in recent years. **More than 600 national companies produce drones for military and commercial use in a market estimated at US$ 4 billion by 2036.** Projects include kamikaze drones from the KAL and Sheshnag-150 programs, as well as the Ghatak stealth drone, which is undergoing testing and promises stealth attack capability comparable to Western platforms.
In the field of heavy armaments, the BrahMos **missile** is the most prestigious product. **Developed in partnership with Russia, the BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile that has already been acquired by the Philippines**, marking India’s first export of a highly complex system to a Southeast Asian country. The Chanakya system, which coordinates swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles with decentralized autonomy and artificial intelligence, represents another technological leap that differentiates the Indian offering in the **Defense** market.
The US$ 25 billion package and what it means for India’s military future
India’s Ministry of **Defense** announced this March a new military modernization package with investments of US$ 25 billion. **The program includes the development and acquisition of air defense systems, transport aircraft, attack drones, and advanced munitions**, signaling that the country intends to further accelerate the expansion of its military industrial base in the coming years.
The investment volume is not just for domestic consumption. Part of the strategy is to develop platforms that can be exported, expanding the portfolio of products available to the more than 80 countries that already buy Indian weapons. For BRICS, the decision reinforces India’s role as a Defense industrial hub within the bloc, complementing Russia, a traditional supplier, and China, which has its own ambitions in the arms market.
India’s position in the global ranking of military spending and imports
Despite the growth in exports, India remains the world’s second-largest arms importer, behind only Ukraine, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The country ranks fifth among global military spenders, which reflects both the need to modernize armed forces with over 1.4 million personnel and border tensions with China and Pakistan that demand constant investment in military capability.
This dual position, as a major importer and growing exporter, creates a peculiar dynamic. India buys highly complex systems that it cannot yet produce domestically, such as latest-generation fighter jets, while exporting intermediate platforms where it has already achieved competitiveness. The long-term strategy is to reduce import dependence as the national industry matures, transforming the country from a net buyer to a net exporter of armaments within one or two decades.
What India’s military growth represents for BRICS and the world
India’s rise as an arms exporter has implications that go beyond bilateral trade with its more than 80 client countries. Within BRICS, the strengthening of the Indian Defense industry diversifies supply options for bloc members who until then depended almost exclusively on Russia for military equipment. For countries in development outside the bloc, India offers an alternative that does not come with the political conditions that Washington or Beijing usually impose.
The 62% growth rate in a single year is difficult to sustain, but the industrial base that India is building suggests that Defense exports will continue on an upward trajectory. The challenge will be to maintain the quality and reliability of exported systems as volume increases, a litmus test that every emerging military power needs to overcome to consolidate itself as a long-term supplier in the global arms market.
Do you think India’s military growth strengthens BRICS as a bloc or increases geopolitical tensions in Asia? Leave your opinion in the comments, we want to know how you view the rise of a new power in the global arms market.
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