India’s shift towards US defence markets for ammunition supply

India and the US continue to expand their defence co-operation with Delhi agreeing to purchase $3 billion worth of American military equipment during the recent visit of President Donald Trump.

With this, New Delhi has affirmed its close dependence on the US for armaments. In fact, India has moved far away from the erstwhile Soviet Union (now Russia) for its arms supplies. Besides the US, Israel is the other top supplier of military equipment to India.

The deal signed in Delhi includes the purchase of Apache and MH-60 Romeo helicopters which are considered to be among the world’s finest defence flying machines.

While the pro-US and pro-Israel shift has been due to the geopolitical changes over the last three decades since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, what is not immediately discerned is the standard conditions on which Washington sells military ware to other countries.

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Buyer countries are tied down to strict Washington-backed conditions imposed by US suppliers. For example, India will not be able to modify any of the imported equipment. And, there are specific conditions only under which this equipment can be used. In the event of any repair, US technicians alone will supervise any rectification.

These conditions were never imposed by the Soviet Union. India was free to modify any equipment it saw fit and overtime “jugaad” became well renowned around the world. Even the terms of technology transfer were much easier, unlike with the US now.

Notwithstanding this, Indo-US defence ties have been strengthening as India signed defence deals worth $15 billion with the US over the last decade. Pentagon, the headquarters of US Defence department issued a statement in February 2019 which said, “Defence sales between India and the US are at an all-time high and the bilateral strategic partnership continues to advance at a historic pace.”

India hit a major deal with the US when it bought C17 Globemaster aircraft in 2011. The deal was worth $4.7 billion and ten aircraft were purchased at that time. One more Globemaster was delivered to India in August 2019 by the US.

The M777 howitzers (long-range guns) were bought for around $700 million from the US in 2016. These are ultra-light guns with a range of around 30 km were inducted in the army in 2018. The total of 145 howitzers has been ordered while only two have been received yet.

Another major deal included Chinook heavy-lift helicopters (CH-47) & Apache attack helicopters (AH-64) which were signed in the year 2015. Together it cost around $3 billion for 15 chinook and 22 Apache helicopters. Four Chinooks were inducted in Indian Air Force in Mar 2019 while others are yet to be awaited.

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In 2009, India signed a deal for Boeing P8 Poseidon aircraft. The $2.1 billion deal included an order for eight aircraft. Later, in 2016 four more aircraft were ordered.

Besides the US and Israel, Russia, UK and France are among the other big arms suppliers to India, as per data provided by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).