India 3rd largest arms importer from US

New Delhi, December 8, 2011: After emerging as the world’s largest arms importer, India has now come third in the list of top ten arms importers from the US with signing contracts over USD 4.5 billion in last year alone.

According to a Pentagon report, India would have bagged the number one slot had India signed the deal for supplying 126 medium multi-role combat fighters worth USD 10.6 billion with the US.

Pentagon’s agency Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) which oversees such deals said that Indian armed forces came after Afghan Security Forces (USD 5.4 billion) and Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (USD 4.9 billion), in purchasing arms under direct sales.

India is followed by Australia ($3.9 billion), Saudi Arabia ($3.5 billion), Iraq ($2.0 billion), the United Arab Emirates ($1.5 billion), Israel ($1.4 billion), Japan ($0.5 billion), and Sweden ($0.5 billion) in signing defence deals with the US under Foreign Military Sales, which means government-to-government purchase of arms.

The big ticket deals signed with the US have been eight P-8I maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft from Boeing valuing USD 2.1 billion. India is also buying 10 C-17 heavy-lifters from Boeing for $4.1 billion. The six C-130 J special operations aircraft valuing USD 1.2 billion have already arrived in the country and order for six more is in the offing. India is also going to buy M777 ultra light howitzers for USD 650 million to augment its firepower in the mountainous terrain.

The Pentagon report has projected a sale of USD 30 billion in 2012 through direct sales route.

According to the report, “The FMS and other security cooperation programs support US national defense and foreign policy by helping our partners acquire the defense articles, services, and training they need to provide for their own defence and to be interoperable with the US and partner nations during coalition operations.”