October 18, 2025

India's defence world is buzzing with fresh energy! Once reliant on other countries for nearly 70% of its defence supplies, the nation now proudly produces about 65% of its defence equipment at home. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced on Friday that the goal is crystal clear: to reach 100% domestic manufacturing, making all gear needed by the armed forces right here in India. The minister shared this exciting news while opening two sparkling new production lines at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's (HAL) Nashik plant. One is the third line for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A, and the other is the second line for the Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT40). To add sparkle to the event, the first LCA built at this facility took its maiden public flight! "There was a time when the country was dependent on other countries to meet its defence needs, and almost 65-70% of defence equipment was imported. But today, this situation has changed; now India is doing 65% manufacturing on its own soil. Very soon, we will take our domestic manufacturing to 100% as well," said Rajnath Singh. The Nashik plant has a rich past stretching over six decades, transitioning from making Russian MiGs and Sukhois to now crafting homegrown aircraft like the LCA and HTT40. Interestingly, these new jets do have hearts from abroad—the LCA uses an engine from General Electric (GE) in the US, and the HTT40 is powered by a Honeywell engine. Yet, the push is strong to cut all foreign dependencies and bring more technology within India. Rajnath Singh also revealed bold plans: boosting defence manufacturing to a whopping ₹3 lakh crore and exports to ₹50,000 crore by 2029. He hailed HAL for its vital role in keeping the Indian Air Force ready, especially during Operation Sindoor, where maintenance was done round-the-clock on jets and helicopters. Another proud moment was the integration of BrahMos missiles onto Su30MKI fighter jets at the Nashik facility. The minister pointed out, "The joint effort has proved that when it comes to critical phases of national security, India is capable of producing its own equipment." With policy changes underway to welcome more private and foreign players—possibly treating foreign-owned subsidiaries like Indian firms for defence deals—the future looks bright. India is gearing up not just to defend, but to dominate the defence manufacturing arena with a fiery spirit of self-reliance!

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Tags: India defence manufacturing, Hal nashik, Lca tejas mk1a, Htt40 trainer, Rajnath singh, Self-reliance in defence,