Set to topple China as world’s largest importer.
The world’s most credible monitor of the annual $30 billion international arms trade — the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) — reveals in its recently released report for 2009 that India is the world’s second-biggest arms buyer over the five-year period from 2005-2009, importing 7 per cent of the world’s arms exports. The top spot went to China, with 9 per cent of the world’s total arms imports.
Since the number of contracts signed by a country, or weaponry bought or sold by it, can fluctuate significantly from one year to the other, a five-year average offers a more stable indicator of trends in the global arms bazaar.
But, India seems likely to top next year’s five-year rolling average, as China is increasingly becoming more self sufficient. The SIPRI report clearly points to China’s decreasing dependence on weapons imports. For the five-year period under review, China’s annual arms imports declined from $3.5 billion (2005), $3.8 billion (2006), $1.5 billion (2007) and $1.5 billion (2008) to a mere $0.6 billion in 2009.
The Sipri report says, “With the exception of a handful of helicopters from France and Russia, no major conventional weapons were delivered to China in 2009, although transfers (including via licensed production) of engines for aircraft, ships and armoured vehicles from Russia, Germany, Ukraine, France and the UK continue.”
In contrast, India continues to import rather than building its defence equipment. From 2005-2009, India’s annual arms imports doubled: $1.04 billion (2005); $1.25 billion (2006); $2.2 billion (2007); $1.8 billion (2008) and $2.1 billion (2009).
India’s major capital imports include 82 Sukhoi-30MKI fighters and T-90 tanks from Russia, and an A-50/Phalcon Airborne Early Warning (AEW) system integrated by Israel.
The United States, currently India’s sixth-biggest arms supplier, seems likely to leapfrog to second position once New Delhi starts paying for a series of recent and ongoing acquisitions. The period under review does not reflect India’s purchase of C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft for $1.1 billion; or the $2 billion acquisition of P8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft.
India has also submitted procurement requests to the US for ten C-17 Globemaster airlifters, worth an estimated $2.4 billion; and for 145 M777 ultralight howitzers worth about $647 million. Initial payments for all this equipment could start this year.
Source : Business Standard