Russia top exporter of arms to India; US distant second.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: A report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) indicates that India was one of the top five importers of arms between 2009 and 2013, along with China, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
India’s imports of arms rose by an astonishing 111% between the periods of 2004-2008 and 2009-2013. On its own, India imported 14% of the world’s total arms imports over the latter period of time, and were three times as much as both the second and third-place nations on the list: China and Pakistan, respectively.
In terms of where India imported the arms from, Russia was the dominant supplier and was responsible for about 75% of India’s arms imports between 2009 and 2013. Numbers two and three — the US and Israel, respectively, trailed far behind at 7% and 6%. From the Russian perspective, however, India only constituted about 38% of the nation’s total exports — still enough to be its top-ranked customer, though, and along with China (12%), and Russia (11%), constituted 61% of the nation’s total exports over the four-year period.
Russia’s exports to India included, among other things, “an aircraft carrier and the only nuclear-powered submarine exported in this period,” according to the report.
India was the top export partner for both Italy and Israel, with the former sending about 10% of its total arms exports over the 2009-2013 time-frame to India, and the latter sending 33% of its arms exports over the same period. India was also the third-highest export partner for arms coming from the UK, about 11% of the latter’s arms exports going to the India subcontinent. The UK’s top two arms recipients were Saudi Arabia (42% of the country’s total exports) and the US (18% of the country’s total exports).
India’s relationship with France is expected to increase significantly in the short term, says SIPRI. “India is expected to become a major recipient of French arms as a result of outstanding orders for 49 Mirage 2000-5 combat aircraft and 6 Scorpene submarines and a planned order for 126 Rafale combat aircraft.”
India and China, in addition to being the two largest importers from 2009-2013, held the same positions from 2004-2008, as well. During the earlier period, Indian imports only constituted about 7% of the global total, but, as mentioned earlier, that number has now doubled.
Pakistan’s arms imports increased by 119% between the 2004-2008 and 2009-2013 time frames. China was its biggest partner, supplying about 54% of the country’s total arms imports, while its second-biggest arms source was the US, from which it received about 27% of its total haul. The two countries’ combined percentage is 81% of Pakistan’s total arms imports over the last four years.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com