New Delhi, Oct 10 (IANS) Adani Defence &  Aerospace on Saturday said that it won the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers Champion Award 2026 for Export Performance in Defence and Aerospace at the organisation's eighth annual session here. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presented award in presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Director General (Acquisition) A Anbarasu. Moreover, fifteen awards recognised achievements in technology development, product innovation, design, import substitution, manufacturing excellence and exports.

The company’s manufacturing complex in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh has annual production capacity of 300 million rounds and produces NATO-standard ammunition, supporting government's Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, it said. Addressing session, the Defence Minister called for greater private sector participation in defence production, increased investment in research and development and expanded manufacturing capacity to meet country's defence requirements.

"We are proud to see our efforts in building India's defence manufacturing capabilities recognised. Our focus is on making high-quality products in India and taking them to customers across global markets," said Ashish Rajvanshi, CEO of Adani Defence & Aerospace. He further noted that the company will continue to invest in technology and indigenous manufacturing to meet evolving needs of defence and security customers. However, latest recognition follows separate SIDM Champion Award presented to Adani Defence & Aerospace's Kanpur Ammunition Complex in 2025 for design, manufacturing and testing excellence.

Moreover, Kanpur facility uses automated manufacturing, AI-enabled quality inspection, real-time data analytics and digital monitoring across production process. Its digital shopfloor eliminates manual handling of hazardous materials. Unit also has 100 per cent digital traceability across manufacturing value chain, supported by digital security systems, according to the company. In addition, the complex houses a ballistics testing range equipped with Electronic Pressure, Velocity and Action Time system.

While range is accredited by India's apex accreditation body -- the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories. Additionally, India's defence exports reached to record Rs 38,424 crore in FY2025-26, an increase of 62.66 per cent against the previous financial year. Also, the government has set target of Rs 50,000 crore in annual defence exports by 2029.

--IANS