Telangana will host the three-day Raksha Expo from December 7
Revanth Reddy | Photo credit: File Photo
The Telangana government will host Raksha Expo 2026, the inaugural edition of the national exhibition for aerospace, defense and homeland security, from December 7 to 9 at Bharat Future City near Hyderabad as part of the Invest Telangana Global Summit 2026.
It is the first such exhibition organized by any state and the first in the country to bring together space and homeland security with aerospace and defense on one platform. The Raksha Expo will serve as a forum to showcase Telangana’s vision for the defense sector and support India’s mission to become an aatmanirbhar in defense research and manufacturing capabilities and become a global exporter.
Underscoring how the state must be part of the revolutionary changes taking place in the defense industry, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said “the nature of conflict is changing. Conventional methods of warfare and statecraft now work alongside new-age drones and missiles. Telangana must be at the center of this revolution.”
An integral part of Telangana Growing vision: CM
He said the state must be the biggest contributor to India’s national and internal security. It had the edge and the resource to make it happen. Defense, space, aviation and internal security sectors would be an integral part of the Telangana Rising 2047 vision and the goal of building a $1 trillion economy by 2034.
Mr. Revanth Reddy recently met Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and invited him to inaugurate the exhibition.
From missiles and fighter jets to satellites and secure communications, Hyderabad has fueled India’s strategic agendas for decades, said Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju. It is home to nearly 30% of the country’s defense and aerospace industry. Raksha Expo brings these strengths to a single platform for the first time, adding space and internal security as the security challenges of tomorrow span all four domains.
“Our experience at iDEX has shown how quickly startups and SMEs can get going when they are connected directly to users, so this fair is for partnerships, not just displays,” he said, inviting manufacturers, innovators and investors from India and the world to build with Telangana and make the state a credible pillar of India’s defense self-sufficiency.
Focus on domestic production
Recent conflicts around the world have exposed fragile supply chains and shown that national security now depends on reliable domestic production of munitions, drones, anti-drone systems, secure networks and resilient infrastructure. India’s defense production reached a record ₹1.78 crore in 2025–26, with defense exports reaching an all-time high of ₹38,424 crore.
Telangana’s aerospace and defense exports to double by 2025-26. Aerospace exports alone grew from ₹15,900 crore in 2023–24 to ₹30,742 crore in 2024–25, a growth of 93% in one year. The sector is growing by more than 30% annually. The state’s landlocked location offers strategic depth for critical research institutions and manufacturing facilities, a natural advantage in an uncertain geopolitical environment, the state government said in a note.
Curtain-down on Saturday
Raksha Expo 2026 will consist of exhibitions, live technology demonstrations, a drone show and on December 9 an air show. A curtain raising event is planned in the city on October 24 and in Delhi on October 29.
Published – 22 Oct 2026 21:31 IST