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Indian Military Equipment of Russian Origin

  • 22 Jul 2020
  • 4 min read

Why in News

According to a paper published by Stimson Center, 86% of the equipment, weapons and platforms currently in military service in India are of Russian origin.

  • The Stimson Center is a nonprofit think tank based in Washington, USA. It aims to enhance international peace and security through a combination of analysis and outreach.

Key Points

  • Data Analysis:
    • Stimson Center data shows that more than 55% of Indian defence imports since 2014 have been from Russia.
    • For the Navy, more than 41% equipment is of Russian origin while two-thirds for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
    • The figure for the Army is 90%, as it assigns around 10,000 pieces of military hardware from Russia.
    • Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) data shows that Russia continues to occupy the First position as India’s defence supplier, with 9.3 billion USD worth of exports to India.
      • The USA is at second, with defence supplies worth 2.3 billion USD to India in the same period.
  • Russia's Military Equipment:
  • USA’s Military Equipment: Apache and Chinook helicopters, M777 howitzer guns for the Army.
  • Reasons: There are many reasons for India's dependency on Russia for the supply of military equipments:
    • Legacy Issue: India and Russia have a longstanding defence relationship and there is familiarity with each other’s processes and systems.
    • Specialised Equipment: The kind of specialised equipment that Russia provides to India makes a difference from other countries, e.g. the S-400 Air Defence Missile Systems, nuclear submarines and aircraft carrier.
    • Combat Capability: Each of the systems supplied by Russia has its advantages and uses as they have been used effectively to develop maximum combat capability especially when focusing on India’s higher-end strike platforms.
  • Significance:

Source: IE

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