Revanth Reddy launches Raksha Expo 2026 curtain raiser, says Aerospace and Defence Policy 2.0 coming soon

Hyderabad: Telangana will soon release its Aerospace and Defence Policy 2.0 in line with the Telangana Rising 2047 vision, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy announced. He urged defence industrialists to join hands to make India one of the world’s most powerful and leading nations in the defence sector.

The Chief Minister launched the Raksha Expo 2026 curtain raiser and unveiled its logo at a meeting at Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad. The government organised the event as part of the Invest Telangana Global Summit 2026. Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, Ministers N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and D. Sridhar Babu, Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju and Home Department Principal Secretary Shikha Goel attended, along with other senior officials.

Revanth Reddy said he wants to see India become a global leader in defence. India must move beyond importing the technology it needs for war, achieve self-reliance and grow into an exporter of defence technology, he said.

“I have a clear goal for Telangana,” the Chief Minister said. He noted that the state is already playing a significant role in achieving it, but said many more milestones remain. Telangana must become the largest industrial hub for the country’s defence industry, he said, and sought the cooperation of everyone present.

He asked investors to double their planned investments in Telangana and to tell him what support they need. “I am ready to cooperate. That is my assurance,” he said. He also hoped the participants would help realise the goal in defence and allied fields such as space, aerospace, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and drone technology.

The Chief Minister recalled that the government released the Telangana Rising 2047 vision document last year. It aims to make Telangana a $1 trillion economy by 2034 and a $3 trillion economy by 2047. Telangana now accounts for more than 2.5 per cent of the country’s population and contributes 5 per cent of its GDP, he said. His goal is to raise that share to 10 per cent by 2047.

Defence manufacturing, aerospace and their allied sectors will play a key role in realising this vision, he said. Raksha Expo will become a major platform for that purpose. He hoped those working in the sector would bring innovative ideas and new technologies, and assured them the government would provide the support and conducive environment they need.

Raksha Expo 2026 to be a global platform for defence stakeholders

Revanth Reddy said experts in the field already know that the nature of warfare will be completely different in the future. He asked them to imagine how drones, robots and AI-driven systems will change the battlefield. The path ahead is clear, and technology is the most critical factor, he said.

He pointed out that leading figures from the defence, space, aerospace and security sectors were present at the meeting. They included representatives of DRDO, HAL, BDL, Midhani, Tata companies, Airbus, Safran, Skyroot, Lockheed Martin, Bharat Forge and several other major organisations. Explaining the aims of the expo, he said he wants Raksha Expo to grow into a vibrant international platform where all stakeholders can meet, hold discussions and collaborate.

Hyderabad holds a strategic position in India’s defence system, the Chief Minister said. He described it as a very safe city that is home to many important research institutions. Key strategic centres of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force operate from the city, he added.

Telangana is the only landlocked state in South India, yet it provides vital services to the Indian Navy, he said. A Very Low Frequency (VLF) naval radar station is under construction in the Damagundam Reserve Forest in Vikarabad district, he noted.

Revanth Reddy said the first Global Summit, held last year, was a success. He extended a special invitation to the delegates to attend the second edition of the Invest Telangana Global Summit. The larger summit is scheduled for December 7, 8 and 9 at Bharat Future City in Hyderabad.

Senior officials and former top officials of the Ministry of Defence attended the curtain raiser, along with Telangana DGP C.V. Anand. Representatives of DRDO, Bharat Dynamics, Midhani and HAL were present, as was Laura Williams of the US Consulate in Hyderabad.

Bharat Forge CMD Baba N. Kalyani, Skyroot CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana and former DRDO chairman Dr G. Satheesh Reddy also took part. Others included Lockheed Martin head Michael Fernandez, Arun Ramchandani of L&T Engineering Systems (SPV), Dhruva Space co-founder Sanjay Nekkanti, Safran CEO Jitendra Gavankar and Airbus Defence and Space President Venkat Katkuri, along with other prominent figures from India’s defence sector.