INDIA’S ARMS IMPORTS FELL 33% BETWEEN 2016-2020: SIPRI
NEW DELHI: India’s arms imports fell 33 % between 2011-15 and 2016-20, said a report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) on Monday, at a time the country has taken a raft of measures to cut dependence on imported military hardware.
The report on international arms transfers attributed the drop in India’s arms imports mainly to an attempt to reduce its dependence on Russian arms and complex procurement processes. “Russia was the most affected supplier, although India’s imports of US arms also fell by 46%,” the report said, adding that India is planning largescale arms imports in the coming years from several suppliers.
Arms exports by Russia, which accounted for 20% of all exports of major arms in 2016–20, dropped by 22%, the report said. “The bulk — around 90% — of this decrease was attributable to a 53% fall in its arms exports to India,” Sipri said.
NEW DELHI: India’s arms imports fell 33 % between 2011-15 and 2016-20, said a report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) on Monday, at a time the country has taken a raft of measures to cut dependence on imported military hardware.
The report on international arms transfers attributed the drop in India’s arms imports mainly to an attempt to reduce its dependence on Russian arms and complex procurement processes.
“Russia was the most affected supplier, although India’s imports of US arms also fell by 46%,” the report said, adding that India is planning large-scale arms imports in the coming years from several suppliers.
Arms exports by Russia, which accounted for 20% of all exports of major arms in 2016–20, dropped by 22%, the report said. “The bulk -- around 90% -- of this decrease was attributable to a 53% fall in its arms exports to India,” Sipri said.
It also said that exports by China, the world’s fifth largest arms exporter in 2016-20, fell 7.8% between 2011-15 and 2016-20.
But the United States, the world’s largest arms exporter, saw its exports rise. Its global share of exports went up from 32% to 37% between 2011-15 and 2016-20.
India has set aside Rs 70,221 crore - 63% of the military’s capiimport tal budget for 2021-22 for buying locally produced weapons and systems to boost defence indigenisation.
The allocation for indigenous procurement -- made for the second consecutive year -- will power the purchase of Tejas LCA (light combat aircraft) Mk-1A jets, light combat helicopters (LCHs), basic trainer aircraft, Arjun Mk-1A tanks, Astra beyond-visual-range missiles, Pinaka rocket systems and antitank missiles, as previously reported by Hindustan Times.
The budget will be used for making milestone payments for several domestic acquisitions through the year.
Such payments refer to a certain percentage of the total deal amount that has to be paid at different stages of the execution of a contract.
Last year, the ministry spent over Rs 51,000 crore, or 58% of the capital budget, on domestic purchases.
The Rs 48,000-crore contract for 83 LCA Mk-1A jets, awarded to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited last month, is the biggest indigenous defence procurement deal so far.
Basic trainers and LCHs figure on the government’s negative import list that seeks to ban the
ARMS EXPORTS BY RUSSIA, WHICH ACCOUNTED FOR 20% OF ALL EXPORTS IN 2016–20, DROPPED BY 22% AND THAT BY CHINA, THE WORLD’S FIFTH LARGEST ARMS EXPORTER IN 2016-20, FELL 7.8% BETWEEN 2011-15 AND 2016-20
of 101 different types of weapons, systems and ammunition over the next five years. This year, the government is likely to notify a second list of weapons, systems and ammunition that cannot be imported.
India will sign a $2.5-billion contract this year for buying 56 medium transport aircraft for IAF to replace its fleet of ageing Avro-748 planes.
Airbus Defence and Space and Tata Advanced Systems Limited will jointly execute the project to equip the air force with 56 C-295 transport aircraft under the Make-in-India initiative in the aerospace sector.
It is a clear indicator that the country’s drive towards Atmanirbharta is showing results, said Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd), director general, Centre for Air Power Studies.
“India is finally at an inflection point and the Indian defence industry is coming of age,” he said.
India’s defence budget for domestic buys to fund fighters, tanks, missiles