Arming up: ‘Be Indian, buy Indian’ is a useful mantra for strategic autonomy

Kyiv’s orders accounted for 8.8% of all arms imported globally over that five-year span, having risen 100 times since 2015-19. New Delhi’s ranked second, with an 8.3% share of defence imports, down from 9.8% in Sipri’s previous report for the period 2019-23. 

With Ukraine at war with Russia for the past three years, its leap to the top of Sipri’s chart is no surprise. It has had to rely on armoury from the US and Europe to defend itself, although with Washington’s change in stance towards Kyiv under Donald Trump’s presidency, further shifts could be in store. 

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Of course, since we are not in an arms race, our relative position is irrelevant. What matters is how well we are equipped to deal with external threats.

According to Sipri data, Indian defence imports in 2020-24 represent a 9.3% decline over 2015-19. Also, Russia’s share in our shipments shrank to 36% from 55% in 2015-19 and 72% in 2010-14. 

This reflects a sustained effort to diversify imports and reduce reliance on Moscow. With purchases from countries such as France, Israel and the US, we not only acquire what suits us, but also reduce the risk of disruption should any supplier get strapped down. 

Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, for instance, led it to cut exports and keep much of its production for its own use. Open-ended arms shopping also helps us forge closer overseas ties with major powers. The big-ticket acquisition of Rafale jets from France, for example, filled a gap in our air-defence shield and strengthened relations with Paris. 

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In general, a large budget for imports can serve as a bargaining chip in trade talks. A broad deal with the US might include buying American F-35 aircraft, partly to bridge our trade deficit with the world’s most powerful country, although it’s unclear if acquiring these would serve our defence purposes well.

The calculus here is complex, but if it eases our search for an evenly balanced bilateral trade pact with the US, we may find these planes worth their price. As signals from the White House suggest, deals that can generate jobs in America’s defence industry may soften its policy aggression over tariffs and other trade barriers.

Our larger goal, however, is to consolidate the country’s strategic autonomy. This calls for greater emphasis on arming Indian armed forces with local equipment. To be sure, our domestic defence production has been on the rise, with self-reliance a key policy pursuit. But we still have a long way to go before we achieve that in the context of advanced weaponry. 

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Impressive warships made at home joined service recently, but slow progress on the delivery of Tejas combat aircraft by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has acted as a speed breaker in our defence preparedness. It was awkward that India’s Air Force chief had to complain publicly before HAL promised to set its rollout schedule right. The country also needs to catch up on drone technology for modern warfare. 

Ultimately, best-in-class weapons made at home are the only guarantor of our ability to deploy forces and operate in world affairs exactly as we see fit. For this, we must move faster on indigenous weapons. Our record on this front remains too patchy.