India continues to be world's largest arms importer
NEW DELHI: India continues to remain in the strategically-vulnerable position of being the world’s largest arms importer, accounting for 9.8% of the total global imports in 2019-2023, despite the government’s continuing thrust on building a strong defence-industrial base that has led to some decline in direct foreign acquisitions.
India’s arms imports increased by 4.7% between 2014-18 and 2019-23 as per the latest data on international arms transfers released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Monday. The flurry of emergency procurements from countries like Russia, France, the US and Israel due to the ongoing 4-year-long military confrontation with China, of course, is partly responsible for this.
Russia remains India’s main weapons supplier, accounting for 36% of its arms imports. Russia’s overall share, however, has been steadily declining with India increasingly turning to western countries for military hardware and software as well as indigenous suppliers. SIPRI said 2019-23 was the first five-year period since 1960–64 when deliveries from the Soviet Union/Russia made up less than half of India’s arms imports. Russia’s exports to India decreased by 34% between 2014–18 and 2019–23.
France accounts for 33% of India’s imports, with the US placed third with 13%. Both France and the US will gain further with mega Indian contracts to be inked later this year. They include the direct acquisition of 31 armed MQ-9B Sky Guardian drones from the US for $3.9 billion as well as 26 Rafale-M fighters from France for an estimated $6 billion.
Among the top arms importers, India is followed by Saudi Arabia (8.4%), Qatar (7.6%), Ukraine (4.9%), Pakistan (4.3%), Japan (4.1%), Egypt (4%), Australia (3.7%), South Korea (3.1%) and China (2.9%).
The top 10 arms exporters, in turn, are the US (42%), France (11%), Russia (11%), China (5.8%), Germany (5.6%), Italy (4.3%), UK (3.7%), Spain (2.7%), Israel (2.4%) and South Korea (2%). Significantly, while the US increased its overall share by 17% between 2014-18 and 2019-23, Russia’s fell by 53% allowing France to surge ahead of it.
India, incidentally, is the biggest arms customer of France, Russia and Israel. China, in turn, is the largest supplier of Pakistan, with 61% of its exports going to Islamabad, followed by 11% to Bangladesh.
China’s own arms imports have gone down by 44%, mainly from Russia due to its rapidly expanding defence-industrial base, which also heavily relies on “reverse-engineering”.
India, the fourth largest military spender in the world after the US, China and Russia, however, still has to get its act together. While the government has taken a series of much-needed measures to boost `atmanirbharta’ (self-reliance) in defence production, a lot more needs to be done.
For instance, not a single “Make in India” project has taken off till now under the much-touted strategic partnership (SP) model promulgated in May 2017 to boost indigenous defence production through tie-ups with foreign armament majors for “deep and extensive” technology transfers.
The SP model projects identified by the defence ministry included the manufacture of six new-generation diesel-electric submarines (estimated cost of Rs 43,000 crore), 111 armed twin-engine utility naval choppers (over Rs 21,000 crore) and 114 new 4.5-generation multi-role fighter aircraft (over Rs 1.25 lakh crore), among others. The SP policy certainly needs a complete overhaul, with a relook at the pricing methodology, assured long-term orders and the like.
Similarly, India has attracted FDI worth just Rs 5,077 crore in defence production since the sector was opened up for private companies in May 2001. This despite the FDI limit being enhanced to 74% through the automatic route and up to 100% through the government route in 2020.
Just last week, defence minister Rajnath Singh had acknowledged that a huge country like India cannot remain dependent on import of weapons and platforms because it can prove “fatal” for strategic autonomy. “Without self-reliance, India cannot take independent decisions on global issues in line with its national interests,” he said.
For more news like this visit TOI. Get all the Latest News, City News, India News, Business News, and Sports News. For Entertainment News, TV News, and Lifestyle Tips visit Etimes