He said India could become frustrated by the strict U.S. and Russian domination of the global defence market and being able to control defence technology was coming to end, but what would replace it was 'still a work in progress.' LEAST LIMITATIONSīill Greenwalt, a former senior Pentagon official for industrial policy, said the days of U.S. Over time these purchases will reduce the share of Russian military technology used by India, but this would take at least two decades, Indian officials said. It is buying French fighter jets, Israeli drones, American jet engines and potentially German submarines. Such problems have reinforced India's resolve to become less dependent on Russia, but it does not want to rely on any one nation for its weapons purchases, they said. India has also been expecting to receive two nuclear-powered attack submarines from Russia over the next few years, but these might also be delayed, defence officials said. A big-ticket item, believed to be the remaining two of the five Russian S-400 air defence systems India bought for nearly $5.5 billion in 2018, has also been delayed, it said. India's air force recently informed a parliamentary panel that Russia would delay deliveries of spares for Sukhoi Su-30 MKI and MiG-29 jet fighter planes. One problem for India is that Russia's war in Ukraine has severely dented Moscow's ability to deliver weapons and equipment. India's main aim is to narrow the technological gap with better-armed arch-rival China, with which it has a tense relationship, and which is also closely allied with traditional foe Pakistan. Tarapore said that the biggest potential for U.S.-India collaboration should be on new systems that India doesn’t already have. India still uses mostly Russian technology for traditional arms. 'A big shift away from Russia will take multiple decades,' he said. They keep you at least a screwdriver away from having it fully,' said a second senior official from India's defence ministry, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.Īrzan Tarapore, an Indian security expert at Stanford University, said the deals announced during Modi's visit 'do not in themselves represent an Indian shift away from Russia.' rules governing the sharing of military technology limit future possibilities for now. However, the moves so far will not be sufficient to end New Delhi's reliance on Russia while stringent U.S. was 'leaning in with technology' sharing more with India than it had with some its closest allies. ambassador to India, said Washington had earlier paid 'lip service' but was now easing India's access to military technologies. In line with New Delhi's desire for self-reliance in defence and Modi's flagship 'Make in India' policy, the jet engine deal includes joint manufacturing in the future, while the assembly and maintenance of the SeaGuardians will likely be in India.Įric Garcetti, the U.S. A possible $3 billion deal for MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones is also being discussed. defence equipment during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to Washington last month, including an over one billion dollar order for GE (GE.N) engines for fighter jets. India announced significant purchases of U.S. The part one is the effort to get out of the import business.'

'It is a reality, that we have to reduce dependence on Russia,' said a senior Indian defence officer working on future capabilities of the Indian military, who declined to be identified.

India bought weapons worth over $60 billion in the last 20 years, of which 65% or nearly $39 billion were from Russia, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute data.ĭefence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that India intends to order weapons from the domestic arms industry worth over $100 billion over the next decade. India is the world's biggest arms importer but almost all of its major weapons purchases now include provisions for joint manufacture or technology transfer, irrespective of which country it is dealing with.Īlso, Russia's war in Ukraine has disrupted some military supplies to India, reinforcing New Delhi's long-term desire to diversify imports or replace them with home-built hardware, Indian defence officials said. arms are less about shifting its reliance on Russian defence equipment and moving towards the West - it's more about developing its own domestic weapons industry, security officials and analysts say. NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON, July 10 (Reuters) - India’s multi-billion-dollar purchases of U.S.

Far aim 2015