A defense giant

A defense giant
Indeed, India’s purchases amounted to almost 10 percent of all global arms imports between 2014 and 2018, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Now, New Delhi is set to speed up its military modernization even further, reportedly planning to spend a colossal $130 billion over the next 5-7 years.

Yet, India is also increasingly looking beyond the simple seller-customer role, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s has tied the country’s military modernization to his ‘Make in India’ initiative. That aspect is one that all foreign companies at the Lucknow expo will be emphasizing, defense analyst and The Hindu journalist Dinkar Peri.

One of the exhibition’s top priorities will therefore be to present the nation as an “emerging defense manufacturing hub” as New Delhi expects not just offers of cutting edge military equipment, but investments and technology transfers as well.

“DefExpo will provide the opportunity to professionals and the industry to find new meeting grounds for developing military industrial enterprises,” Modi said ahead of the exhibition.

Some foreign arms manufacturers are apparently ready to share at least some of their technologies with their customers in New Delhi, while others apparently still prefer to simply rely on their most advanced product offers in a bid to kindle India’s interest.

Peri also noted that India and Russia are expected to hold the fifth joint Military Industry Conference on the sidelines of the exhibition with “over 100 Russian and over 200 Indian industry leaders” expected to participate.