India: The world's largest importer in the global arms trade market, there is a country that has attracted much attention, it is not the war-torn Ukraine, but our southwest neighbor, and the world's most populous country - India. According to the "Hindustan Times", in 2023, India will purchase 310 fighters of various types and other ** equipment at one time, and it is likely to sit on the throne of "the world's largest ** importer" again. As early as 2022, India has already topped this list, even surpassing war-torn Ukraine to become the world's No. 1. The Indian Air Force is nicknamed the "Universal Brand" because of its wide range of fighters.
According to the report, the reason why India has carried out such large-scale arms procurement is that, on the one hand, it needs to replace a large number of old aircraft, and on the other hand, it is to realize its own military modernization. In 2023, the Indian Ministry of Defense approved a number of huge procurement projects, including the purchase of 97 LCA Tejas light fighters, 156 Prachande combat MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones and 26 Rafale M carrier-based fighters. In addition, India has signed a contract to purchase 56 C-295 transport aircraft from the European company Airbus, and plans to upgrade its 84 Su-30MKI heavy fighters. Even if it is not counted, India has purchased 310 fighters of various types in a year. Do these moves mean that India is secretly confronting China?
The French Rafale fighter is currently India's most advanced fighter, and the Indian army is satisfied with its performance and plans to add 26 more. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in Sweden, India is in a position to procure, while purchasing equipment from the United States, France and Russia, which is quite rare between the East and the West. This approach not only did not offend the major powers, but was "taken care of" by all countries at the same time. However, it should be noted that Russia's share of the international market is rapidly declining due to the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, although it is still the world's second largest exporter. Russia's share of the international arms market in 2022 has fallen to 16% from 22% previously. At the same time, the growth of France's market share in India is also putting pressure on Russia.
In the single Indian arms sales market, France has overtaken the United States to rank second, second only to Russia. For India, although the Su-30MKI will continue to be the main fighter of the Indian Air Force for quite some time to come, its performance has long lagged behind compared to the great powers. The current India** is largely regarded as a copy of the Anglo-Indian colonial authorities, and therefore in fact harbors a strong desire for foreign aggression and expansion. Since its independence in 1947, India has had wars with all its neighbors, including the occupation of Kashmir, the annexation of Pakistan, the annexation of Sikkim, etc. At the same time, India also partially occupied Nepalese territory and effectively controlled the Kingdom of Bhutan. Only in 1962 did India suffer defeat in a border conflict with China.
Since independence, India has actually only lost border conflicts with China and won other foreign wars, so Indians have that kind of "delusional confidence". Since its independence in 1947, India has dreamed of achieving a "rich country and a strong army", but due to its weak industrial base and scientific and technological level, it is simply unable to support the country's ambitions. Faced with this situation, India has naturally chosen to modernize its military through "buy, buy, buy." Initially, India also tried to localize, for example, during the Cold War, India produced British and Soviet tanks, assembled MiG-21 fighters, and assembled German Type 209 submarines. However, due to the serious shortage of its own industrial level, the procurement of first-class equipment is increasing day by day, so that India has since been named "international arms VIP customer".
Take a look at a ** with a variety of airplanes in it. India's ** equipment purchases are so large that even Ukraine, which is at war, is ashamed of itself. According to data from the Swedish International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), although Ukraine is mired in war in 2022, its ** equipment procurement volume only ranks third in the world, while the first in the world is still India, and the second is the Middle Eastern country Qatar. However, as it is often said, defense modernization cannot be bought with money. Although India invests heavily in the purchase of various advanced equipment every year, the technological gap with neighboring countries is still widening. India is currently unable to compete with China's J-20, J-16 and other advanced fighters, and even Pakistan has publicly confirmed its plan to purchase China's J-31 fifth-generation stealth fighter.
In contrast, India continues to purchase French Rafale four-and-a-half-generation fighters. Thus, the result of India's so-called "buy, buy, buy" military modernization strategy is obvious: it will be difficult to gain an advantage even in the face of an old adversary like Pakistan, let alone against China.