Last reviewed 30 Sept 2026 · Facts as of 30 Sept 2026 · 12 min read
A note on status. Induction dates, test results and inventories change. The classifications, ranges (approximate) and the names below are the stable core; for the latest tests and inductions check the Ministry of Defence and DRDO announcements.
Defence organisation
- Supreme Commander: the President of India (Article 53). The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is headed by the Defence Minister; departments: Defence, Defence Production, Defence Research & Development (DRDO), Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Military Affairs (DMA, 2020). The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) decides purchases; the Defence Planning Committee; the National Security Council (the National Security Adviser).
- Armed forces: Indian Army (Chief of the Army Staff, 15 January is Army Day), Indian Navy (Chief of the Naval Staff, 4 December is Navy Day), Indian Air Force (Chief of the Air Staff, 8 October is Air Force Day, founded 1932). The Indian Coast Guard (1978; Ministry of Defence; the "Vayam Rakshamah"). Territorial Army (1949). Central Armed Police Forces (under the MHA): BSF (border with Pakistan and Bangladesh), CRPF, CISF, ITBP (the China border), SSB (Nepal and Bhutan), Assam Rifles, NSG ("Black Cats").
- Chief of Defence Staff (CDS): the post created in December 2019 (implemented on 1 January 2020) — the first CDS was General Bipin Rawat (died in a helicopter crash in December 2021); General Anil Chauhan succeeded (2022). The CDS heads the Department of Military Affairs and promotes jointness and theatre commands.
- Commands: the Army has 6 operational commands (Northern, Western, Eastern, Central, Southern, South-Western) + ARTRAC; the Navy 3 (Western — Mumbai, Eastern — Visakhapatnam, Southern — Kochi); the Air Force 7 (Western, Eastern, Central, Southern, South-Western, Training, Maintenance). Andaman & Nicobar Command (2001) is the first tri-service command; the Strategic Forces Command (2003) manages nuclear weapons.
- Ranks: Field Marshal (five-star; K. M. Cariappa (the first Indian Commander-in-Chief, 1949; Field Marshal 1986) and Sam Manekshaw (1973; the 1971 war hero)); Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh (2002).
- Awards: Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra (wartime gallantry); Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra (peacetime). The first Param Vir Chakra: Major Somnath Sharma (1947). See the Awards note.
- Institutions: National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, Pune; Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun; Officers Training Academy, Chennai; Defence Services Staff College, Wellington; National Defence College, Delhi; Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala (Kerala); Air Force Academy, Dundigal (Hyderabad).
- Defence Budget: among the largest in the world (about ₹6.8 lakh crore in 2025–26; check the latest); Defence exports crossed ₹21,000 crore in 2023–24 and more in 2024–25 (BrahMos, Akash, artillery, ammunition, Dornier).
DRDO
- Defence Research and Development Organisation — formed in 1958 (Ministry of Defence); HQ New Delhi; 60+ laboratories (DRDL Hyderabad, ADE Bengaluru, VRDE Ahmednagar, DMRL Hyderabad, ARDE Pune, LRDE Bengaluru, DIPAS, INMAS); the chairman also serves as the Secretary of the Department of Defence R&D; Kalam led it (as the Scientific Adviser). DRDO Young Scientist Labs, Technology Development Fund (TDF).
- Major developments: missiles (IGMDP), the Arjun main battle tank, the LCA Tejas (with HAL/ADA), Pinaka rocket launchers, Akash SAM, Nag ATGM, AEW&C (Netra), Kaveri engine, INSAS rifle (replaced by newer rifles), Dhanush and ATAGS artillery, Advanced Light Torpedoes, Astra BVR missiles, Agni-Prime, hypersonic technology (HSTDV), directed-energy weapons, the Mission Shakti anti-satellite test (2019), and the anti-Covid 2-DG drug.
Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP)
Launched in 1983 under Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, at DRDL Hyderabad, to make India self-reliant in missiles. It developed five missile systems — Prithvi, Agni, Trishul, Akash, Nag — and was declared complete in 2008.
Types of missile
- By launch and target: surface-to-surface (SSM), surface-to-air (SAM), air-to-air (AAM), air-to-surface, anti-tank (ATGM), anti-ship, submarine-launched.
- By range: short-range (SRBM: up to 1,000 km), medium-range (MRBM: 1,000–3,000 km), intermediate-range (IRBM: 3,000–5,500 km), intercontinental (ICBM: over 5,500 km).
- By trajectory: ballistic (a powered rise and free fall) and cruise (a continuously powered flight in the atmosphere at low altitudes). Hypersonic (Mach 5+).
- Guidance: inertial, GPS/NavIC, terminal radar or infra-red homing; MIRV (Multiple Independently targetable Re-entry Vehicles) — Agni-V has MIRV capability (Mission Divyastra, March 2024).
Major Indian missiles
| Missile | Type | Approx. range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prithvi-I, II, III | surface-to-surface SRBM | 150 / 250–350 / 350–600 km | the first missile developed under the IGMDP (1988); liquid-fuelled; Prithvi-II is the Air Force's; Dhanush is the naval variant |
| Agni-I | MRBM | ~700–900 km | solid-fuelled; the road-mobile |
| Agni-II | MRBM | ~2,000–3,000 km | |
| Agni-III | IRBM | ~3,000–3,500 km | |
| Agni-IV | IRBM | ~3,500–4,000 km | road-mobile |
| Agni-V | ICBM class | 5,000+ km (more than 5,000) | a three-stage solid-fuelled; a canisterised; MIRV tested in 2024 |
| Agni-Prime (Agni-P) | a new-generation medium-range | ~1,000–2,000 km | canisterised; a rail-based launch was tested in 2025 |
| Akash | SAM (surface-to-air) | 25–45 km | a medium-range; the ramjet; the Akash-NG new generation; Akash Prime |
| Trishul | SAM | 9 km | short-range; the programme is closed |
| Nag | anti-tank guided (fire-and-forget) | 4–8 km | a "Helina" (a helicopter-launched Nag), NAMICA (a tracked launcher) |
| BrahMos | supersonic cruise missile | 290 km (extended-range versions ~450–800 km) | India–Russia joint venture (BrahMos Aerospace); the name from Brahmaputra + Moskva; speed about Mach 2.8–3; launched from land, sea, submarine and air (Su-30MKI) |
| Astra | BVR air-to-air | 100+ km | Astra Mk-1, Mk-2 |
| Nirbhay | subsonic long-range cruise | ~1,000 km | |
| Pralay | short-range quasi-ballistic | 150–500 km | |
| SFDR (Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet) | air-to-air | tested 2018 | |
| MRSAM (Barak-8) | SAM (India–Israel) | ~70 km | naval and land versions |
| QRSAM | quick-reaction SAM | ~30 km | |
| Shaurya | hypersonic tactical | ~700–1,900 km | canister-launched; the land version of K-15 |
| K-15 Sagarika / K-4 / K-5 / K-6 | submarine-launched ballistic (SLBM) | 750 / 3,500 / 5,000 / 6,000 km | for the Arihant class |
| Anti-Ballistic Missile (BMD) | Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) / Advanced Air Defence (AAD) | two-tier defence | |
| Long-range hypersonic missile (LRAShM) | anti-ship | ~1,500 km | tested Nov 2024 |