India was largest single recipient of French arms exports, accounting for nearly 30 percent over the period 2019-2023

New Delhi: India continues to be the world’s top arms importer, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

According to the data, India’s arms imports increased by 4.7 percent between 2014–2018 and 2019–2023. This is despite the government’s “Make in India” initiative, which aims to promote India as the “most preferred global manufacturing destination”.

The SIPRI report says that Russia has retained India’s main-arms-supplier status, accounting for 36 percent of its arms imports.

The period between 2014 and 2018 was the first five-year stretch in 50 years (since 1960-1964) when deliveries from Russia or the erstwhile Soviet Union (prior to 1991) made up less than half of India’s arms imports.

This shows how India is now looking increasingly to other countries. For example, it was the largest single recipient of French arms exports, accounting for nearly 30 percent in the period 2019-2023. France’s overall arms exports increased by 47 percent between 2014–2018 and 2019–2023, according to SIPRI. This is the first time that the country became the second-biggest arms exporter after the US and just ahead of Russia.

The increase in French arms exports was largely due to deliveries of combat aircraft to India, Qatar and Egypt. The Indian Air Force operates 36 Rafale fighter jets customised in accordance its needs, which were procured after a Euro 7.87 billion deal the two countries signed in September 2016.

Furthermore, India is in talks for 26 Rafale Marine jets to be procured for the Navy’s aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. In December 2023, France sent in a bid and the contract will likely be signed this year.

Moreover, Russian arms exports fell by 53 percent between 2014–2018 and 2019–2023. “The decline has been rapid over the course of the last five years, and while Russia exported major arms to 31 states in 2019, it exported to only 12 in 2023,” the report stated.

This comes at a time when Russia is on an offensive in Ukraine and has several sanctions imposed on it by the West.

According to a BBC report, two years after Russia attacked Ukraine, the US, UK and the European Union announced 500 new sanctions on the country. US President Joe Biden said the countries together would “target Russia’s war machine”. New export restrictions were imposed on hundreds of firms and individuals in Russia. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, nearly 16,500 sanctions have been imposed on Russia.

Pakistan significantly increased its arms imports by 43 percent. The SIPRI report said, “Pakistan was the fifth largest arms importer in 2019-23 and China became even more dominant as its main supplier, providing 82 percent of its arms imports.”

Overall in the global context, US and French arms exports have gone up, while Russian exports plummeted. The US exports grew by 17 percent between 2014-18 and 2019-23. The country’s share of total global arms exports rose from 34 percent to 42 percent.

The US delivered major arms to 107 states in 2019-2023. The USA and countries in Western Europe together accounted for 72 percent of all arms exports in 2019-2023, compared with 62 percent in 2014-2018.

The largest share of global arms transfers went to Asia — nearly 37 percent in 2019-2023 went to countries in Asia and Oceania. The US accounted for 34 percent of imports by states in Asia and Oceania, compared with Russia’s 19 percent and China’s 13 percent.

For the first time in 25 years, the US has become the largest supplier to Asia and Oceania.

(With Agency Inputs)