Tech Desk: Russia’s long-standing grip on India’s arms market has significantly loosened over the past decade, marking a strategic pivot rather than a sudden geopolitical shift. Once accounting for 70 percent of India’s arms imports in 2011-15, Russia’s share plummeted to 40 percent between 2021 and 2025, reflecting a determined move towards diversification.

This decline is driven by India’s burgeoning domestic manufacturing capabilities, increased competition from Western suppliers like France (29 percent) and Israel (15 percent), and persistent concerns about Russian equipment. A prime example is New Delhi’s rejection of Russia’s Su-57 fighter proposal in 2026, citing cost and engineering issues, a decision made years after exiting the joint development program.

India’s push for self-reliance is evident in the planned Super Sukhoi project, aiming to upgrade over 200 Su-30MKI aircraft with approximately 80 percent indigenous content. This includes the domestically developed Virupaksha AESA radar and new mission computers, extending the fleet’s life into the 2050s.

Despite these changes, the India Russia arms market relationship isn’t entirely severed. India continues to procure critical systems like five additional S-400 air-defence units and maintains a ten-year military cooperation framework with Moscow. The emerging pattern signifies a deliberate strategy to broaden India’s supplier base and bolster indigenous production, reducing dependency while retaining Russia as a key, albeit smaller, defence partner.