US remains world's top arms exporter, India drops to No.2 in arms import

India was the world's second largest importer of major arms in 2014-18 and accounted for 9.5 per cent of the global total.

Russia's arms export to India, the world's second largest importer of major arms, fell by a whopping 42 per cent between 2014-18 and 2009-2013, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) said in a report, here on Monday.

As a result, Russia accounted for 58 per cent of total Indian arms imports in 2014-2018, compared with 76 per cent in 2009-2013, according to the report "Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2018" released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

According to the figures released by the report, India's import of arms decreased by 24 per cent between 2009-2013 and 2014-2018.

This decline in India's import is also partly due to delays in deliveries of arms produced under license from foreign suppliers, such as combat aircraft ordered from Russia in 2001 and submarines ordered from France in 2008.

Still, India was the world's second largest importer of major arms in 2014-18 and accounted for 9.5 per cent of the global total.

Saudi Arabia became the world's largest arms importer in 2014-2018, with an increase of 192 per cent compared with 2009-2013.

The five largest importers were Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Australia and Algeria.

Israel, the USA and France all increased their arms exports to India in 2014-18.

Pakistan's arms imports decreased by 39 per cent between 2009-13 and 2014-18. The US has become increasingly reluctant to provide military aid or sell arms to Pakistan: US arms exports to Pakistan fell by 81 per cent between 2009-13 and 2014-18, it said.

Pakistan has instead turned to other suppliers. For example, in 2018 it ordered 4 frigates and 30 combat helicopters from Turkey, it added.

The decrease in India's arms import is significant given that the volume of international transfers of major arms in 2014-18 was 7.8 per cent higher than in 2009-13 and 23 per cent higher than in 2004-2008.

Meanwhile, arms imports by the Middle East countries increased 87 per cent in 2009-2013 and 2014-2018, and accounted for 35 per cent of global arms imports in 2014-2018.

Arms export by the US increased 29 per cent in 2009-2013 and 2014-2018, and its share of total global exports rose from 30 per cent to 36 per cent, according to a SIPRI report.

The five largest exporters in 2014-18 were the United States, Russia, France, Germany and China.

. As a result, the gap between the USA and Russia - the second largest exporter - continued to widen.

"The gap between the top two arms-exporting states also increased. The US exports of major arms were 75 per cent higher than Russia's in 2014-2018, while they were only 12 per cent higher in 2009-2013. More than half (52 per cent) of the US arms exports went to the Middle East in 2014-2018," said Aude Fleurant, director of the Sipri Arms and Military Expenditure Programme.

"The USA has further solidified its position as the world's leading arms supplier," said Fleurant.

"The USA exported arms to at least 98 countries in the past five years. These deliveries often included advanced weapons, such as combat aircraft, short-range cruise and ballistic missiles and large numbers of guided bombs," Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying.

Globally, the volume of international transfers of major arms in 2014-2018 was 7.8 per cent higher than in 2009-2013 and 23 per cent higher than in 2004-2008, the report said.

Headquartered in Stockholm, Sipri's research covers international conflicts, armaments, arms control and disarmament.