Agni, RudraM-II, Pinaka: Rajnath Singh says India's strike capabilities have gained 'unprecedented strength'

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Friday, highlighted India's growing strike capabilities, listing a series of successful missile and weapons trials as he outlined the country's progress in building a self-reliant and future-ready defence sector.

Addressing soldiers through Akashvani on the eve of the 80th Independence Day, Singh said indigenous warships, aircraft and advanced military systems were increasingly strengthening the armed forces.

He highlighted the successful testing of the Advanced Agni Missile equipped with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology, saying it had "added a new dimension to the strategic deterrence capabilities".

"Successful trials of the Long-Range Land Attack Cruise Missile, RudraM-II Air-to-Surface Missile, Naval Anti-Ship Missile-SR, and Pinaka Long-Range Guided Rocket have provided unprecedented strength to the nation's strike capabilities," Singh said.

He also referred to the successful test of the first Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation system, which has the capability to transform conventional weapons into precision-guided munitions.

Singh said the successful testing of an Active Cooled Full-Scale Scramjet Combustor for more than 1,200 seconds had placed India among a select group of countries capable of developing hypersonic missile technology. India's air defence capabilities, he added, had received another boost with the first successful test of the indigenous 'Kusha' Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile.

The defence minister said the government was giving the "highest priority" to modernising the armed forces through a self-reliant defence sector. He said initiatives such as Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India had transformed the sector over the past 12 years.

Singh noted that domestic defence production increased from Rs 46,000 crore in 2014 to a record Rs 1.78 lakh crore in 2025-26. Defence exports, meanwhile, climbed from Rs 686 crore in 2013-14 to an all-time high of Rs 38,424 crore in 2025-26.

"Today, India has 145 defence exporters, and our products are being exported to over 80 countries. I am confident that we will achieve our defence exports target of Rs 50,000 crore by 2029," he said.

Singh also highlighted increased spending on defence modernisation. The defence budget has risen from Rs 2.53 lakh crore in 2013-14 to Rs 7.85 lakh crore in 2026-27, while capital expenditure increased from Rs 94,588 crore to Rs 2.19 lakh crore.

He said the Defence Acquisition Council had granted Acceptance of Necessity for projects worth more than Rs 8.75 lakh crore over the past year.

Singh also reiterated the government's focus on developing border infrastructure, improving the welfare of serving and retired personnel and expanding opportunities for women in the armed forces.

Paying tribute to India's freedom fighters and soldiers, Singh said the responsibility of safeguarding the country's sovereignty, unity and integrity rests with the defence forces, adding that the nation would remain indebted to their service, sacrifice and dedication.