France produces Airbus helicopters and Rafale components: India has never exported as much military equipment with a total of 3.5 billion euros

During the 2025-2026 fiscal year, these exports surged by 62% compared to the same period of the previous year, the Ministry of Defense congratulated on Thursday.

India exported a historic amount of over 384 billion rupees (about 3.5 billion euros) of armaments during the 2025-2026 fiscal year, a 62% increase compared to the same period of the previous year, the Ministry of Defense congratulated on Thursday.

New Delhi has made the modernization of its army a top priority, especially due to recurrent tensions with its neighbors China and Pakistan. While being one of the leading importers of military equipment for many years, India is now also focusing on producing its own weapons.

The surge in sales last year “reflects the growing confidence (of foreign countries) in India’s national capabilities and its industrial power,” emphasized Minister Rajnath Singh on X.

“India is becoming a hub of the global arms industry,” he insisted.

The “made in India” equipment exported includes missiles, warships, artillery, and radar systems, manufactured 55% by public enterprises and the rest by the private sector. They were purchased by around a hundred countries, with the United States, France, and Armenia leading the way.

The Indian defense budget for the fiscal year, which started on April 1, saw an increase of 15%, reaching about 75 billion euros.

A surge symbolized by France, which accelerates its industrial implantation strategy in India by developing the production of military equipment, such as Airbus launching an assembly line of helicopters with Tata Group, as part of New Delhi’s partial relocation policy. This dynamic is part of an increasingly close defense cooperation with the government of Narendra Modi, who encourages foreign companies to produce locally.

This trend extends beyond Airbus and also includes Dassault Aviation’s Rafale program, with an expected ramp-up of manufacturing in India. For France, it is about securing a strategic market while adapting its industrial model, at the cost of an increasing transfer of arms production to India.