Telangana to host three-day Raksha Expo from December 7

Telangana government will host Raksha Expo 2026, the inaugural edition of the State-level expo for the aerospace, space, defence and internal security sectors, from December 7 to 9 at the Bharat Future City, near Hyderabad, as part of the Invest Telangana Global Summit 2026.

It is the first such expo being organised by any State and the first in the country to bring space and internal security together with aerospace and defence on one platform. Raksha Expo will serve as a forum to showcase Telangana’s vision for defence sector and support India’s mission to become aatmanirbhar in defence research design and manufacturing capabilities and emerge as a global exporter.

Seeking to highlight how the State must be part of the revolutionary change underway in the defence industry, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said “the nature of conflict is changing. Conventional methods of warfare and statecraft now operate alongside drones and new-age missiles. Telangana must be the centre of this revolution.”

Integral to Telangana Rising vision: CM

He said the State must be the largest contributors to India’s national and internal security. It possessed the advantage and resource to turn this into a reality. The defence, space, aerospace and internal security sectors would be integral to the vision of Telangana Rising 2047 and the goal of building a $1 trillion economy by 2034.

Mr. Revanth Reddy had recently met Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and invited him to inaugurate the expo.

From missiles and fighter aircraft to satellites and secure communications, Hyderabad has powered India’s strategic programmes for decades, said Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju. It is home to nearly 30% of the country’s defence and aerospace industry. Raksha Expo brings these strengths onto one platform for the first time, and adds space and internal security, because the security challenges of tomorrow cut across all four domains.

“Our experience with iDEX has shown how quickly startups and MSMEs deliver when they are connected directly with users, so this expo is designed for partnerships, not just displays,” he said, inviting manufacturers, innovators and investors from India and across the world to build with Telangana and make the State a trusted pillar of India’s self-reliance in defence.

Focus on domestic production

Recent conflicts around the world have exposed fragile supply chains and shown that national security now depends on dependable domestic production of ammunition, drones, counterdrone systems, secure networks and resilient infrastructure. India’s defence production reached a record ₹1.78 lakh crore in 2025–26, with defence exports touching an all-time high of ₹38,424 crore.

Telangana’s aerospace and defence exports doubled in 2025-26. Aerospace exports alone rose from ₹15,900 crore in 2023–24 to ₹30,742 crore in 2024–25, about 93% growth in one year. The sector is growing at more than 30% a year. The State inland 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 raiser on Saturday

Raksha Expo 2026 will consist of exhibitions, live technology demonstrations, drone shows and December 9 an air show. A curtain raiser event is planned in the city on October 24 and in Delhi on October 29.