India Greenlights USD25B Military Spend on Missiles

RunWithRugs · 2026-03-30T19:02:33+00:00

India's Defense Ministry approved a $25 billion military procurement package, including S-400 missile systems and transport aircraft, aimed at modernizing the armed forces and enhancing airlift capabilities amid regional security challenges.

RunWithRugs

2026-03-30 19:02:33

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(MENAFN) India’s Defense Ministry has approved a sweeping package of military procurement proposals valued at approximately $25 billion, encompassing additional S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems and new transport aircraft for the country’s armed forces, according to an official government statement released Friday.

The Defense Acquisition Council cleared a wide-ranging set of acquisitions for the Indian Army, among them an air defense tracking system and armor-piercing tank ammunition, the ministry confirmed.

The Indian Air Force stands to benefit most substantially from the approvals, which cover the procurement of medium transport aircraft, supplementary S-400 surface-to-air missile batteries, remotely piloted strike aircraft, and the overhaul of Su-30 aero-engine aggregates.

The ministry underscored the strategic importance of modernizing the country’s aging airlift capabilities. “The induction of medium transport aircraft by replacing the transport fleet of AN-32 and IL-76 will meet the strategic, tactical and operational airlift requirements of the services,” the statement said.

The latest approvals build on India’s existing missile defense relationship with Russia. In 2018, New Delhi signed a $5.3 billion agreement with Moscow to acquire five S-400 air defense systems — though two of those contracted units have yet to be delivered.

The scale of Friday’s clearances signals a significant acceleration of India’s military modernization drive amid heightened regional security pressures.

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