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o The IGMDP: Covering the Prithvi and Agni short and medium/long-range ballistic missiles, the Nag anti-tank missile, and the Akash and Trishul surface-to-air missile, this programme has a number of notable and high-profile successes. The Prithvi has been tested regularly since 1988 and three versions of the missile (150km, 250km, and 350km ranges) are now believed to be in production or close to that stage of development. The Agni was first tested in 1994 and in a 1998 missile test the missile flew close to 2,500km. The Aksah, Nag and Trishul, meanwhile, are expected to enter service soon. However, none of these missiles are entirely indigenous. Some reports suggest, for instance, that five to ten per cent of the technologies used in the Prithvi are imported from abroad. o The Arjun and LCA: India's experience of designing both an indigenous tank and fighter aircraft have been less successful. Take the example of the Arjun tank. Approval was given for the project in 1974 and it was expected to be in operational service by 1985. However, a number of problems limited production of the tank that has only just started. The story of the LCA is almost identical: the programme has experienced delays since its inception in 1983 for a variety of reasons and the first flight test, originally scheduled for 1996, is now not expected to take place until some time in 2002. The failure of India's R&D programme has forced the country to prune its defence R&D budget. More specifically, after experiencing an increase of 36 per cent in 1991-1992, the DRDO's share of the defence budget decreased in 1996-97. Furthermore, even though India announced in March 2000 that it would increase its defence budget by 28 per cent to $13.94 billion this year, funding for domestic R&D was raised by only 5.2 per cent. At the same time, the proportion of cash for defence-equipment purchases has been increased. Russia is likely to remain the main supplier of India's defence equipment needs. According to Liya Klebarov, Russia's vice premier, defence sales to India account for 20 to 25 per cent of the annual total export of Russian military goods. The defence sales relationship between the two sides received a major boost during the October visit of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Although the details still have to be finalised, India announced its intention to buy Russian arms worth $2 billion. Intended purchases include additional purchases of Su-30 long-range fighter bombers, a number of which will be made under licence in India, more than 300 T-90 main battle tanks (MBTS), one third of which also will be made in India, the ageing Soviet-era aircraft carrier, the Admiral Gorshkov, that will be provided for free but will cost $500m to refurbish, and an as-yet unspecified number of MiG-29s for the ship. India also has looked to solidify its links with European suppliers. For example, though details of the deal have yet to be finalised, the British-based company BAE Systems is also believed to have secured a deal to provide India with the Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft. (India has been negotiating this purchase for over a decade.) France also has been particularly successful, recently concluding an agreement to sell India additional Mirage 2000 fighters. Outside Europe, India has established a close defence procurement relationship with Israel that is thought to have provided it with equipment suitable for border surveillance. Furthermore, reliable sources have suggested that the Phalcon early warning plane (AEW) that Israel was building for China, but recently agreed not to sell to Beijing after pressure from the United States, will be delivered to India. South-African arms exports also have managed to carve out a small niche for themselves in India. Put more simply, despite its ambition, India's efforts to develop an indigenous defence production capability have failed to live up to initial expectations. Therefore India is likely to remain heavily dependent on foreign arms exporters for the supply of key capabilities for the foreseeable future. In response, some officials and businessmen are now calling for the participation of private sector and foreign companies in India's defence industrial base. |
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| The Soviet Union once provided India with 70 per cent of its defence requirements. Its collapse at the end of the cold war has given added impetus to India's desire for greater self sufficiency | ||||
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| In its quest for greater self reliance in military construction and research and development, India has insisted on building many of its weapons systems under licence | ||||
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