India approves $25bn for aircraft & Russian S-400 missile acquisitions

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India’s “Akash” missiles, mounted on trucks, are showcased during the Republic Day parade in New Delhi on January 26, 2020. — Reuters

– India’s military budget has hit $71 billion for this fiscal year.
– The country has recorded its highest defense expenditure ever in a single year.
– India ranks as the world’s second-largest importer of arms.

India has greenlit $25 billion in new defense procurement proposals, including transport aircraft, Russian S-400 missile systems, and remotely piloted attack aircraft, as part of its efforts to modernize its military and replace outdated equipment following recent conflicts with Pakistan.

This decision follows a previous major approval last month for a $40 billion package to purchase additional French Rafale fighter jets for the Air Force and Boeing P-8I reconnaissance planes for the Navy.

The recent approvals also encompass the acquisition of armor-piercing tank ammunition, artillery systems, aerial surveillance technology, upgrades for Sukhoi-30 fighters used by the Air Force, and hovercraft for the Coast Guard, according to a statement from the defense ministry.

Additionally, India signed a 4.45 billion rupee ($47 million) contract with Russia’s JSC Rosoboronexport to purchase Tunguska air defense missile systems for the Army.

Overall, during the fiscal year ending March 31, India approved 55 proposals valued at 6.73 trillion rupees ($71 billion) and signed contracts for 503 proposals totaling 2.28 trillion rupees. Both figures represent record highs for a single fiscal year.

Currently, India is the fifth-largest military spender globally and ranks as the second-largest arms importer after Ukraine, based on data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

For decades, India has been modernizing its largely Soviet-era military equipment and increasingly sourcing new technology from France, Israel, the United States, and Germany. In recent years, the country has emphasized domestically producing a variety of military hardware—including firearms, drones, fighter jets, and submarines—either independently or through international collaborations.