India is extending an open invitation to global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to capitalize on its rapidly expanding defense ecosystem, seeking collaborative solutions to emerging geopolitical and technological challenges. Addressing a high-profile CEOs Roundtable at Aero India 2025, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh emphasized India’s commitment to self-reliance in defense manufacturing, urging foreign firms to invest and partner with Indian companies.
Singh underscored the volatile global security environment and the increasing complexity of modern military operations, stressing the need for continuous innovation. “The reliance on space-based navigation, communication, and surveillance requires seamless integration into operational plans. The use of drones in conflicts highlights the importance of manned, unmanned, and autonomous warfare systems working in unison. Our defense manufacturing must focus on countermeasures for these evolving threats,” he stated.
Highlighting India’s strategic roadmap, Singh reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fostering a robust, efficient, and future-ready defense industry. Under the Modi administration, policies have been implemented to create an investor-friendly defense sector, allowing up to 75% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through the automatic route for new defense licenses and up to 100% with government approval. To date, 46 joint ventures and foreign investment approvals have been granted in the defense sector.
India’s Defense Industrial Corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have already attracted over 250 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for industrial units. Singh also highlighted the Defense Testing Infrastructure Scheme, which aims to establish 6-8 new testing and certification facilities, and the Defense Exim Portal, which streamlines export authorization processes. India has seen a 31-fold increase in defense exports over the past decade, solidifying its position as a key player in global arms trade.
As part of the government’s push for indigenization, more than 500 startups and small businesses are engaged in defense innovation under the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) program. India now boasts the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world, expected to grow by 10-12% annually.
The CEOs Roundtable, themed “Enabling Defence Cooperation through Global Engagement (EDGE),” attracted participation from 19 countries, including the United States, France, Russia, the UK, Japan, and Israel. Leading international defense firms, such as Airbus, Mitsubishi, Rafael, and Safran, presented plans for joint ventures with Indian companies, focusing on manufacturing spare parts, developing aero-engines, setting up Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facilities, and advancing R&D efforts.
Among the prominent attendees were Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and the chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. With this summit, India reinforced its ambition to emerge as a global hub for defense production, leveraging international cooperation to build a self-reliant military-industrial complex.
