India second largest importer of weapons in world
Last updated on: 12 March,2019 07:46 pm
The assessment was done for a five-year period (2014-2018) by SIPRI.
(Web Desk) – India stood second in the list of importing major arms in the years 2014-18 and accounted for 9.5 percent of the global total. India has been among the top five arms importers in the world for decades, according to an annual report titled ‘Trends in International Arms Transfers-2018’ released by a Sweden-based think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The assessment was done for a five-year period (2014-2018).
It says, “India was the world’s second largest importer of major arms in 2014-18 and accounted for 9.5 per cent of the global total.”
For the period 2013-2017, India was the world s largest arms importer by accounting for 13 percent of all imports.
Israel, US and France all increased their arms exports to India in 2014-18.
Russia’s arms export to India dips
Russia’s arms export to India fell by a whopping 42 per cent between 2014-2018 and 2009-2013. Russia accounted for 58 per cent of total Indian arms imports in 2014-2018 compared with 76 per cent in 2009-2013.
The decline in India’s import is also partly due to delays in deliveries of arms produced under license from foreign suppliers, such as combat aircraft ordered in Russia in 2001 and submarines ordered from France in 2008.
During the period studied by SIPRI, India procured Mi-17-V5 helicopters from Russia; maritime surveillance planes, the Boeing P8-I from the US, and UAVs and radars from Israel.
The five biggest exporters in five-year block period 2011-2015 were the US, Russia, France, Germany and China.
The US and Russia remain the largest exporter of weapons accounting for 36 per cent and 21 per cent, respectively, of all global trade.