US, France, Armenia the Top 3 Buyers of Indian Military Equipment

NEW DELHI —  The US, France and Armenia are ranked as the top three destinations for defense exports by India, which chalked up military sales worth Rs 21,083 crore ($2.6 billion) to other countries in 2023-24, official sources said on Sunday, The Times of India reports.

Indian public and private sector companies are now exporting a wide range of arms, ammunition and fuses to around 100 countries, which also include some complete weapon systems and platforms like BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, Dornier-228 aircraft, artillery guns, radars, Akash missiles, Pinaka rockets, and armored vehicles, the sources added.

Armenia has emerged as India’s biggest client of ‘finished’ weapon systems including Akash air defense missile systems, Pinaka multi-launch rocket systems and 155mm artillery guns.

Armenia has also signed a number of deals with India in the past four years for import of ‘finished products’ like missiles, artillery guns, rocket systems, weapon-locating radars, bulletproof vests, and night-vision equipment and a wide variety of ammunition and artillery shells.

The exports to the US, however, mainly consist of sub-systems and components, which include global defense majors like Boeing and Lockheed Martin sourcing fuselage, wings, and other parts of aircraft and helicopters from India as part of their global supply chain networks as well as offset commitments.