The sum of $620 billion. That’s how much the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry estimates will be spent on defence between 2014 and 2022. Up to half of this, alone, will go to buying new weapons.
It’s a figure that has arms manufacturers from both the former Eastern and Western blocs lining up with their wares. For there is no ideological aversion when it comes to arms. The Indian armada would see Russian tanks accompany American attack helicopters, carrying Israeli missiles – a supply chain nightmare but also a foreign policy goldmine.
India’s military shopping list makes for a must-discuss agenda point in the Prime Minister’s foreign visits. Since assuming power in 2014, Narendra Modi has purchased Rafale fighter jets for $8.7 billion from France, Apache and Chinook helicopters for $2.5 billion from the United States, S400 anti-aircraft missile system for more than $5 billion with Russia and a $2 billion deal for MRSAM surface-to-air missiles with Israel. To name a few.
And the list of things to buy can only grow. India was the world’s largest arms importer for nearly five years between 2012 and 2016. It’s a trend that is unlikely to change, as up to 40 percent of the country’s weapons are either obsolescent or already obsolete.
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