Despite sanctions, India’s dependence on Russian military equipment likely to persist for decades to come
India is received batteries of S-400 air defence systems from Russia, so will remain dependent on the OEM for technical support for years to come. (Photo: Rosoboronexport)
Despite boosting indigenous production and diversifying its sources of military equipment, India is in no position to give up its long-time dependence on Russia.
India’s enduring dependence on Russian equipment – whose availability has been adversely impacted by sanctions imposed on Moscow by the US and its NATO partners for its invasion of Ukraine – is expected to persist, despite emerging obstacles.
Though Delhi had reduced this reliance on Russia by some 33% between 2011 and 2020, a cross-section of senior Indian military officers, defence officials and security analysts concur that its requirement for Russian miliary equipment will persist over the next 10-15 years, if not longer.
Defence analyst Maj Gen A.P Singh (retired) said: ‘Switching to alternative supply sources was not even a
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