The Indian government intends to significantly increase the influence of its defense industry by using an unprecedented system of concessional loans, intended to facilitate the export of its armament to countries with fragile solvency or high political exposure, according to an exclusive investigation by the Agency Reuters. This strategy would include states historically dependent on Russia in terms of military supply or friendly countries, including Morocco.
According to fifte interlocutors who requested anonymity, including several senior officials and representatives of the private sector, the executive led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strengthened the prerogatives of the public bank Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM)by entrusting him with the mission of expanding the granting of long -term and low -cost funding to support the sale of military equipment abroad.
In this perspective, New Delhi also intends to deploy a larger number of defense attachés within its diplomatic representations, in order to facilitate negotiations with the foreign authorities and to weigh more directly on contractual negotiations. This approach aims more particularly the countries whose armed forces have been historically equipped by Russia, today weakened by its industrial concentration turned almost exclusively towards the war effort in Ukraine.
The Russian-Ukrainian conflict, launched in February 2022, led to a scarcity of deliveries of Russian materials to its traditional customers, while Western arsenals were reoriented to Kyiv. Several governments of Asia, Africa and the Middle East-including Morocco-have since turned to India, which benefits from hybrid experience, having been able to absorb and adapt to its use of military technologies coming from both the West and Russia.
This industrial repositioning is accompanied by a progressive rise in local productions, carried in particular by private actors now capable of designing precision ammunition, light aircraft or even naval systems. Although certain contracts are still obstructed by the absence of international operational references, India intends to assert the competitiveness of its manufacturing, both technically and financial.
“India is working with resolution towards the expansion of its defense exports”wrote the Indian Minister of Defense, Rajnath Singh, in a recent publication.
This strategic turn, unprecedented in the industrial history of post -independence India, comes at a time of recomposition of world military balances while several regional powers seek to diversify their suppliers to compensate for the growing uncertainty of traditional alliances.
