India’s defence export story has entered a new phase. For decades, the country was known primarily as one of the world’s major importers of military hardware. That picture is now gradually changing as Indian-designed weapons, radars, artillery systems and missiles begin finding customers abroad.
One of the clearest examples is the Akash surface-to-air missile system.
As of October 2026, India’s Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh has confirmed that the indigenous Akash air-defence system has been exported to Armenia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Armenia was the first overseas customer and acquired multiple batteries; exports were subsequently made to the two Central Asian republics. The Times of India
This matters for much more than the value of a few defence contracts. Akash represents India’s attempt to move up the global defence value chain—from exporting components and relatively small systems to supplying complete, sophisticated missile-based air-defence networks.
What exactly is the Akash missile system?
Akash is an indigenous surface-to-air missile, or SAM, system developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO. It was designed to provide mobile air defence against hostile aircraft and other airborne threats.
DRDO describes Akash as its first advanced indigenous surface-to-air missile system successfully developed, produced and supplied to both the Indian Air Force and Indian Army. The system has been operational with India’s armed forces for years and is now being offered internationally. DRDO
The original Akash system has an engagement range of around 25 kilometres, according to the Government of India’s 2020 export approval announcement. That announcement also said the system had more than 96% indigenous content, illustrating the depth of domestic design and manufacturing involved. Press Information Bureau
Akash is not merely a missile.
A complete Akash weapon system includes launchers, command-and-control elements, surveillance and tracking radars and associated support equipment. This allows a battery to detect targets, track them and engage hostile aircraft within an integrated air-defence network.
The system has been designed to counter threats such as fighter aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and other airborne targets.
Armenia became the breakthrough customer
The turning point for Akash exports came with Armenia.
In November 2024, India dispatched the first Akash weapon-system battery for export. Bharat Electronics Limited announced the flagging-off of the first battery to a friendly foreign country; subsequent reporting identified Armenia as the customer. DRDO
Armenia eventually took multiple Akash batteries, according to the Indian Defence Secretary’s October 2026 remarks. The Times of India
For India, the significance was substantial.
Winning a first international customer is often the most difficult phase for any new defence platform. Potential buyers do not evaluate only technical specifications. They also look at whether the system is operationally deployed, whether spare parts will be available over many years, whether training is adequate and whether the manufacturer can provide long-term maintenance and upgrades.
An export order effectively provides the platform with an international reference customer.
Once that happens, selling the same system to additional countries becomes easier.
That pattern now appears to be emerging with Akash.
Tajikistan and Turkmenistan expand the footprint
In October 2026, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed that India had also exported Akash to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Web India News
This development is particularly interesting because both countries are in Central Asia, a region where defence equipment supplied by Russia and, increasingly, China has historically played a major role.
Turkmenistan already operates Chinese-origin air-defence equipment, according to reporting on the latest Akash deployment. The arrival of an Indian system therefore adds another supplier to the country’s defence ecosystem. The Economic Times
Tajikistan’s acquisition similarly gives India a defence-industrial presence in a strategically important Central Asian state.
The three customers therefore give Akash a geographically concentrated but strategically useful export footprint stretching from the South Caucasus into Central Asia.
Why Central Asian countries are interested
The demand for mobile air-defence systems has increased globally because the nature of aerial warfare is changing.
Traditional combat aircraft remain important, but modern militaries must also contend with cruise missiles, precision-guided weapons, loitering munitions and a rapidly expanding variety of drones.
Recent conflicts have demonstrated that even relatively inexpensive unmanned aircraft can threaten military installations, airfields, ammunition depots and critical infrastructure.
Countries therefore increasingly want layered air-defence systems rather than relying solely on fighter aircraft.
Akash gives potential customers another option in this market.
For countries that want to diversify beyond traditional Russian, Western or Chinese suppliers, India can offer a system backed by government-to-government strategic relations as well as domestic manufacturing capacity.
The system is part of a wider Indian defence-export shift
Akash should not be viewed in isolation.
India has been steadily building an export portfolio that includes missile systems, artillery, radar, naval vessels, electronic warfare equipment, ammunition and aerospace components.
BrahMos has become the most internationally prominent Indian missile export, while Akash is emerging as the country’s flagship indigenous air-defence export.
Pinaka multi-barrel rocket systems and Astra air-to-air missiles are also drawing international attention. India Today
The scale of India’s overall defence exports has also expanded sharply. Reporting based on official figures puts defence exports for FY2025-26 at ₹38,424 crore, representing significant growth over the previous year. The Financial Express
That growth changes India’s position within the international defence industry.
The country is still a major importer of military equipment, but it is increasingly becoming both buyer and seller.
From components to complete weapon systems
This transition is strategically important because exporting complete weapons platforms is very different from exporting parts.
When the Indian Cabinet approved Akash exports in December 2020, the government explicitly noted that Indian defence exports had previously consisted largely of parts and components and that exports of major platforms had been limited. Press Information Bureau
Akash was therefore intended to help India enter the market for high-value defence platforms.
That strategy is now producing visible results.
A sophisticated air-defence battery involves missile manufacturing, radar technology, electronics, command systems, vehicles, software, communications equipment and training.
An Akash export therefore generates opportunities across a large industrial ecosystem rather than benefiting a single manufacturer.
DRDO, BEL and BDL form the industrial backbone
The Akash programme illustrates how India’s defence research and manufacturing institutions increasingly work as an integrated chain.
DRDO developed the missile system.
Bharat Dynamics Limited is closely associated with missile production, while Bharat Electronics Limited produces important radar and electronic components associated with the overall weapon system. Contemporary reporting identifies both BDL and BEL as major industrial partners in the export programme. The Financial Express
This has broader implications for Indian defence manufacturing.
Successful exports allow production lines to remain active beyond purely domestic orders. Larger production volumes can reduce unit costs, improve supplier stability and create incentives for further research and development.
Export customers can also generate long-term income through spare parts, training, maintenance, repairs and eventual upgrades.
Why Akash can appeal to overseas buyers
The international air-defence market is highly competitive.
Countries can choose among Russian systems, American and European platforms, Israeli missile defences, Chinese systems and increasingly products from South Korea and Turkey.
India therefore needs more than political relationships to succeed.
Akash offers several potential advantages.
First is indigenous control. Because India controls much of the design and production ecosystem, it potentially has greater flexibility in configuring export variants and supporting customers.
Second is cost competitiveness. India is seeking to position its weapon systems as capable alternatives to more expensive Western platforms.
Third is operational maturity. The system is already fielded by the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. DRDO says Akash has been deployed in operational areas and repeatedly tested under realistic conditions. DRDO
Fourth is the possibility of government-backed defence partnerships. India can integrate equipment sales with training, maintenance, exercises and broader diplomatic cooperation.
The export version is not identical to India’s domestic system
An important detail is sometimes missed in public discussion.
When the Cabinet approved Akash for export in 2020, the government specifically stated that the export version would differ from the configuration deployed by the Indian armed forces. Press Information Bureau
This is common in international defence trade.
Countries often protect sensitive technologies, software, electronic warfare capabilities, identification systems or classified performance parameters by offering customized export configurations.
It allows India to pursue commercial opportunities without necessarily transferring every capability used by its own military.
Strategic implications for India
The Akash exports have geopolitical significance as well.
Defence relationships tend to be long lasting.
Unlike ordinary commercial goods, missile systems require years of operator training, technical support, spare parts, maintenance and periodic upgrades.
A country buying a major Indian defence platform can therefore remain institutionally connected to the Indian defence ecosystem for decades.
That can deepen military-to-military relations.
It may lead to more training exchanges, defence dialogues, exercises and follow-on purchases.
For India, this is particularly valuable in regions such as Central Asia, where it has economic and security interests but faces strong competition for influence from larger regional powers.
Central Asia is strategically important
Tajikistan and Turkmenistan sit in a strategically important zone connecting South Asia, West Asia, Russia and China.
Central Asia contains major energy resources and occupies key transit corridors between Europe and Asia.
India has long sought stronger relations with the region, but geographic separation has complicated trade and connectivity.
Defence cooperation provides another avenue through which New Delhi can build durable partnerships.
The arrival of Akash in Tajikistan and Turkmenistan therefore carries significance beyond the hardware itself.
It signals that India is increasingly capable of participating in a defence market historically dominated by a small number of external suppliers.
It also demonstrates buyer diversification
Many countries are now reluctant to rely entirely on a single supplier for critical military systems.
Supply-chain disruptions, sanctions, geopolitical rivalries and wartime ammunition shortages have made diversification increasingly attractive.
India can benefit from this trend.
A Central Asian country may operate Russian, Chinese, Turkish, Western and Indian equipment simultaneously rather than becoming entirely dependent upon one partner.
For India, that means it does not necessarily need to replace established suppliers completely.
It only needs to prove that Indian platforms can occupy selected niches competitively.
Akash appears to be doing exactly that.
Export success strengthens the case for future variants
The Akash family is continuing to evolve.
Future Indian air-defence exports may involve improved variants offering better seekers, longer ranges and stronger resistance to electronic countermeasures.
Export success with the existing system can create a customer base for those future versions.
This is how established defence manufacturers build global franchises.
A buyer does not merely purchase today’s missile.
It potentially becomes a customer for tomorrow’s upgrades, replacement missiles, radars, command systems and next-generation platforms.
The significance goes beyond revenue
The financial value of defence exports is important, but revenue alone does not explain why governments pursue them.
Weapons exports create strategic relationships.
A country buying Indian equipment becomes dependent to some degree on India for technical support, ammunition replenishment and future upgrades.
That creates recurring institutional contact.
It also gives Indian manufacturers a global reputation.
When a missile system is adopted by several foreign armed forces, other potential buyers are more willing to examine it.
Therefore, Armenia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan may be important less because they represent the ultimate size of the Akash market and more because they establish an international track record.
What comes next?
India’s next challenge will be turning the current orders into sustained export momentum.
That requires more than producing good missiles.
India will have to demonstrate reliable delivery schedules, strong after-sales support, readily available spare parts, long-term software and electronics support, operator training and rapid maintenance.
Global defence customers judge suppliers partly on the weapon and partly on what happens during the following twenty years.
If India succeeds in creating that support ecosystem, Akash could become the foundation of a broader export family of Indian air-defence systems.
A milestone in India’s defence-industrial evolution
The export of Akash to Armenia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan marks an important stage in India’s transformation from predominantly a defence importer into an increasingly credible defence manufacturer and exporter.
The milestone is especially significant because Akash is not merely an imported platform assembled domestically. It is a DRDO-developed system with very high indigenous content and an Indian industrial supply chain. The Government of India put its indigenous content at more than 96% when approving the platform for export. Press Information Bureau
That makes every overseas customer an advertisement for India’s domestic engineering capability.
For decades, India’s challenge was to develop sophisticated weapons reliably enough for its own armed forces.
The next challenge is different:
Can India persuade foreign militaries to trust Indian systems for their own national defence?
With Akash now fielded beyond India and exported to three countries, the answer is beginning to emerge.
The programme shows how indigenous defence technology can simultaneously strengthen India’s armed forces, expand its manufacturing base, generate export revenue and deepen strategic partnerships.
And if additional countries follow Armenia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, Akash may ultimately be remembered not simply as one of India’s successful missiles, but as one of the systems that helped establish India as a serious participant in the global defence market.
