Why India Has Leapt Ahead of China in Arms Imports - India Real Time - WSJ
Why India Has Leapt Ahead of China in Arms Imports
India now imports almost three times as many arms as China or Pakistan, according to data published Monday, cementing its position as the world’s largest procurer of military hardware.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or Sipri, said that India accounted for 14% of the world’s arms imports between 2009 and 2013. China and Pakistan, which come second on the list, account for 5% of international military imports.
The surge in spending on imports in India compared to China highlights the difference in the two countries’ defense industries, some analysts said.
“China has a very successful and vibrant indigenous defense industry, which supplies most of the equipment needs of the People’s Liberation Army,” said Tim Huxley, executive director of the International Institute of Strategic Studies in Asia.
“India’s defense industry is really not at all successful and its problems in innovation and misuse of resources are quite widely known,” Mr. Huxley added.
India spends around $30 billion a year on its defense budget, around three times less than China, according to the IISS.
The volume of major weapons imports into India between 2004-2008 and 2009-2013 rose by 111%, Sipri, the Sweden-based research institute said.
India purchased most - about three-quarters — of its weapons from Russia from 2009 to 2013. In that time, it received 90 of the 222 Su-30 MKI combat aircraft ordered from Russia, and 27 of 45 MiG-29K combat aircrafts ordered for use on aircraft carriers, according to Sipri.
It also has 62 Russian MiG29SMT and 49 French Mirage 2000-5 combat aircraft on order, the think-tank said.
For the first time, between 2009 and 2013, the U.S. became the second-largest arms supplier to India, providing 7% of arms purchased during that period, compared to 27% of Pakistan’s military imports over the same period.
India became the world’s largest importer of arms, overtaking China, in 2012. As its defense spending grows, India will need to rely more and more on imports.
“Economically, there’s a strong case not to worry about this, as developing an indigenous defense industry is very expensive and most countries that have one rely heavily on exports,” in to a very competitive market, Mr. Huxley of IISS said.
Follow Joanna and India Real Time on Twitter @jhsugden and @WSJIndia.
Why India Has Leapt Ahead of China in Arms Imports
India now imports almost three times as many arms as China or Pakistan, according to data published Monday, cementing its position as the world’s largest procurer of military hardware.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or Sipri, said that India accounted for 14% of the world’s arms imports between 2009 and 2013. China and Pakistan, which come second on the list, account for 5% of international military imports.
The surge in spending on imports in India compared to China highlights the difference in the two countries’ defense industries, some analysts said.
“China has a very successful and vibrant indigenous defense industry, which supplies most of the equipment needs of the People’s Liberation Army,” said Tim Huxley, executive director of the International Institute of Strategic Studies in Asia.
“India’s defense industry is really not at all successful and its problems in innovation and misuse of resources are quite widely known,” Mr. Huxley added.
India spends around $30 billion a year on its defense budget, around three times less than China, according to the IISS.
The volume of major weapons imports into India between 2004-2008 and 2009-2013 rose by 111%, Sipri, the Sweden-based research institute said.
India purchased most - about three-quarters — of its weapons from Russia from 2009 to 2013. In that time, it received 90 of the 222 Su-30 MKI combat aircraft ordered from Russia, and 27 of 45 MiG-29K combat aircrafts ordered for use on aircraft carriers, according to Sipri.
It also has 62 Russian MiG29SMT and 49 French Mirage 2000-5 combat aircraft on order, the think-tank said.
For the first time, between 2009 and 2013, the U.S. became the second-largest arms supplier to India, providing 7% of arms purchased during that period, compared to 27% of Pakistan’s military imports over the same period.
India became the world’s largest importer of arms, overtaking China, in 2012. As its defense spending grows, India will need to rely more and more on imports.
“Economically, there’s a strong case not to worry about this, as developing an indigenous defense industry is very expensive and most countries that have one rely heavily on exports,” in to a very competitive market, Mr. Huxley of IISS said.
Follow Joanna and India Real Time on Twitter @jhsugden and @WSJIndia.
