Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday, 25 October 2025, announced that the state government will soon unveil Aerospace and Defence Policy 2.0, aimed at attracting large-scale investments in the defence sector and positioning Hyderabad as a premier destination for defence research. The announcement came during the curtain-raiser programme for 'Raksha Expo', organised ahead of the Invest Telangana Global Summit.

Raksha Expo: A Global Defence Platform

The 'Raksha Expo' is scheduled to be held from 7 to 9 December at Bharat Future City in Hyderabad, as part of the larger Invest Telangana Global Summit. Chief Minister Reddy described the expo as a premier platform designed to bring together global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), along with senior defence and security officials, industry experts, and startups. The government envisions the event evolving into a recurring international forum for dialogue and collaboration across the defence ecosystem. Reddy claimed that the first edition of the summit, held last year, was a significant success.

Hyderabad's Strategic Defence Credentials

Reddy highlighted Hyderabad's strategic importance within India's national security architecture. The city is home to several critical research institutions and houses key strategic centres of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force. Notably, despite being the only state in South India without a coastline, Telangana contributes critical infrastructure to the Indian Navy — a Very Low Frequency (VLF) naval radar station is currently under construction in the Damagundam Reserve Forest of Vikarabad district.

Skilling and Innovation Ecosystem

The Chief Minister underscored that the defence sector demands highly skilled talent, and pointed to Telangana's concentration of premier academic institutions — including IITs, IIITs, NITs, ISB, and BITS — as a natural feeder for the industry. He also cited the establishment of the 'Young India Skills University' and the upgrade of ITIs into Advanced Training Centres (ATCs) as steps toward building a robust skilled workforce. Active incubators operating in the city further strengthen the innovation pipeline, he said.

Vision: From Importer to Exporter

Reddy articulated an ambitious long-term goal: transitioning India from a net importer of defence technology to a global exporter. He called on all stakeholders to contribute to making Telangana India's largest industrial hub for the defence sector. The Chief Minister also expressed hope that collaborations would extend beyond core defence into allied domains such as space, aerospace, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and drone technology. Appealing directly to investors, Reddy urged them to double their planned investments in the state, reiterating that the government would extend full cooperation.

What Comes Next

The formal rollout of Aerospace and Defence Policy 2.0 is expected ahead of the December summit, though a specific release date has not yet been announced. Industry participation at the Raksha Expo — including global OEMs and domestic MSMEs — will be closely watched as a measure of investor confidence in Telangana's defence ambitions.