India’s Share of Russian Arms Exports Surges Since May: Further Major Deals Expected

<p >India has significantly increased its share of Russia’s total arms exports, as the country continues to receive new military equipment from its longtime strategic partner. In early December the head of the Russian presidential directorate for state policy in the defence sector Viktor Yevtukhov stated regarding Indian acquisitions that "India’s share in the export of Russian weapons and hardware has increased by 15% in the past six months alone.” He added that the construction of Project 11356 Talwar Class frigates was a cornerstone of military-technical cooperation between the two states, at a time when the seventh ship of the class was being transferred to the Indian Navy. “These deals have demonstrated the Russian defence sector’s research and industrial potential and facilitated the development of the Russian school of surface military ship-building," he added. The frigate program: "complies with the key trends of Russia-Indian military-technical cooperation, which is developing on the basis of long-term contracts and with a focus on localising the production of Russian weapons and vehicles at Indian enterprises. Overall, Russia continues to be India’s leading partner in the defence sector. And not only because we have a vast potential inherited from the former Soviet Union but also thanks to joint work today. Our countries have more than 200 joint defence projects," the official further stated. </p><p ><img src=" title="Indian Navy Talwar Class Frigate"></p><p >India was a leading client for Soviet military equipment throughout the middle and latter stages of the Cold War, and during the 1980s was made a priority client for a number of high profile new assets including T-72 tanks and MiG-29 fighters. The country emerged in the 2000s as by far the largest foreign client for Russian defence exports, after neighbouring China’s technological and industrial advances allowed it to rely more heavily on domestic procurement. The Indian Armed Forces notably fielded many signature Russian weapons systems in larger numbers than the Russian Armed Forces themselves in peacetime, including T-72 and T-90 tanks, modernised MiG-29 fighters and Su-30 fighters. Indeed, the development of the T-90, the MiG-29M and the Su-30 were <a href=" target="_blank">very heavily facilitated</a> by Indian orders, as the post-Soviet Russian defence sector lacked the funding needed to realise these programs. The Indian government has increasingly heavily emphasised the need for localised production and technology transfers when procuring armaments, although the very limited successes the country has had in developing fully indigenous high and medium end new weapons systems has resulted in a heavy reliance on pursuing programs jointly with Russia. </p><p ><img src=" title="Indian Air Force Su-30MKI Fighters"></p><p >During the 2000s and 2010s Indian procurements of over 270 Su-30MKI ‘4+ generation’ fighters were a central aspect of Delhi’s defence relationship with Moscow, with the heavily customised fighter using of the Su-37's N011M radar, the first phased array radar ever integrated onto an export fighter, as well as the Su-35's controlled canards, AL-31FP engines and thrust vectoring nozzles. The aircraft was<a href="> far more capable </a>than anything Russia was able to finance for its own air force in the two decades after the USSR disintegrated. Although no similarly large scale procurement programs have been initiated since that time, India has continued to show a strong interest in either license production or off the shelf purchases of the Su-57 fifth generation fighter, with discussions on a license production deal <a href=" to be underway</a> in February 2023.</p><p >With India’s fighter fleet well under the 42 squadron strength planned by the Indian Defence Ministry, Su-57 acquisitions on a comparable scale to the Su-30MKI could make up the shortfall, while providing a counter to both the rapid expansion of China’s fifth generation fighter fleet, and to China’s <a href=" fifth generation fighters</a> to Pakistan. Among the other deals currently reported include the lease of up to two more Russian Akula Class nuclear powered attack submarines, and the <a href=" target="_blank">procurement</a> of Voronezh-DM long range radar systems under a deal valued at over $4 billion. India has consistently rebuffed efforts by the United States and its European allies to place pressure on it to downgrade defence ties with Russia, which has included threats of economic sanctions. </p>