Historically, India has depended on foreign countries to provide military equipments for its armed forces. In recent years, the government has increased its procurement of military equipments. But, this procurement process is very lengthy. It involves importing parts from foreign OEMs. It also involves using a National Stock Number. The NSN is used to identify military equipment and supplies. These include aircraft, self propelled weapons, spares, repair parts, and ships.
France is India's second-largest supplier of military equipments. Russia has been India's main supplier of major arms for many years. Russia's exports to India have declined by 47 percent between 2012 and 2016. India is the second-largest market for Russian militarism equipment. In the time period 2012-2016, Russia exported the most important arms to India: the AH64 Apache, F-15C Strike Eagle and UH-60 Blackhawk tanks.
India has been the largest importer of military equipments in the world. India has been increasing its focus on indigenous weapon manufacturing in recent years. The Indian Armed Forces has seen significant changes due to the "Make in India" policy. 70 percent of the defense budget has been allocated to the domestic arms industry by the government. This is due to the need for weapons capable of fulfilling the country's defense needs.
In the past, India lacked the ability to produce weapons of its own. India has been importing major arms from Russia since 2012, representing about 70% of the total imports of major arms from the country. The government has begun to promote indigenous production of weapons for India's Army and Air Force. The 'Make in India’ policy promotes the production and use of indigenous weapon parts, equipment, and other components. This is not all. The Indian Air Force has also stressed the importance in manufacturing indigenous weapons.
France, on the contrary, has been a major supplier for military equipments to India over many decades. France's major weapon programs have always been successful. In the early 1980s, France's army built a new main-battalion tank, Leclerc. It was designed to be used in high-intensity conflict in continental Europe. The program was officially launched in 1986 after more than 20 years of study.
In addition to the main battle tank program, France also launched a combat helicopter and a pair of missile programs. These programs were created to keep France ahead, and to prevent Soviet armored troops from entering Western territories. Both programs proved to be successful. The French military's ability, however, to achieve its strategic goals has been threatened by the disappearance of smaller-scale programmes.
The Grands Programmes logic continues to be a cornerstone of French military planning. However, it has been subject to significant criticism. While some have criticized the logic of the Grands Programmes, it is vital that they are implemented in order for the French military to continue being at the forefront.