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Delhi arms fair reiterates India status as top arms buyer
Global Times - Delhi arms fair reiterates India status as top arms buyer
India's status as one of the world's largest arms and defense equipment buyers has been confirmed when the country's capital hosted the biggest arms fair it ever hosted last week, said experts.
Popularly known as DefExpo which ended Feb. 18, the exhibition attracted more than 650 companies, including some of the big guns of the global weapon industry.
The 2010 edition of DefExpo was also apparently aimed at more than 50 billion US dollars which India is likely to spend in the next 10 years in arms acquisition and modernization programs.
Indian Defense Secretary R.K. Singh, who was also the chief organizer of the arms show, while refusing to speculate on the figure of military requirements by India, said exhibition was "a big show".
Since 1999, India has spent 50 billion US dollars on procuring arms.
Speaking about the DefExpo, Defense Minister A.K. Antony said since 1999, the event has grown from strength to strength.
"This year, the participation of companies increased by around 40 percent in comparison to the last one. Thirty eight official delegations, including 14 ministerial delegations attended the event," he said.
"The arms fair is held every two years and with every edition, its size continues to grow. In 2008, over 400 companies had put up stalls and this year, more than 650 companies booked space. Around 250 of these 650 companies are foreign," R.K. Singh said.
Leading the pack as usual were the companies from the United States closely followed by Israel. Together, the two control the largest space in terms of net area at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi signaling their growing dominance of the Indian market.
Israel is India's second biggest arms supplier and the US is catching up fast posing a serious threat to the traditional dominance of Russia.
Russian companies also put up a strong show, but they seem to be no match for Israel and US firms in terms of grabbing business. France, Britain, Germany and Italy also gave a tough fight.
The Indian army and the navy have substantial modernization plans that will realize in the coming months with the purchase of several weapon systems.
The first major big ticket deal of this year might go to the US as India is keen to buy C-17 heavy lift transporters from Boeing. The US has already bagged some of the biggest contracts like C-130J Hercules transporters for 962 million US dollars and Boeing P-81 maritime reconnaissance aircraft for 2.1 billion U. S. dollars.
Defexpo projected the "emergence of India as an attractive market and an investment destination for joint ventures" in defense, Singh said.
This year's exhibition at Pragati Maidan was double in size too -- from 17,200 square meter in 2008 to 30,100 square meter this year. Domestic exhibitors occupied more space than foreign venders. The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Tata group were the largest exhibitors among domestic firms.
Talking about the fair, Ministry of Home Affairs Secretary G.K. Pillai exhorted the Indian security industry to monitor and upgrade technologies, equipment and forces to meet contemporary challenges.
"The security industry is one of the fastest growing industries in India. Integrated security solutions including software, closed-circulate TV surveillance systems and wake-up digital video technologies are the need of the hour for detection and analysis of information for immediate and effective action," he said.
Global Times - Delhi arms fair reiterates India status as top arms buyer
