India relied heavily on foreign countries in the past to provide military equipment for its armed force. In recent decades, the government has increased its purchase of military equipments. These weapons are expensive and take a long time to procure. It also involves the importation of equipment and parts from foreign OEMs. This also includes the use of a National Stock Number. NSNs are used for military equipment and supplies. These include aircraft, self-propelled weapons, spare parts, repair parts and ships.
France is the second largest supplier of military equipments to India. Russia has been India’s largest supplier in recent decades of major weapons. Russia's imports to India decreased by 47 percent in the period 2012-16. India remains the second largest export market for Russian military 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 is the largest exporter of military equipments worldwide. India has become more focused on manufacturing weapons from its own resources in recent years. The Indian Armed Forces have seen a significant impact from the 'Make in India" policy. The government has set aside 70 percent of the defence budget for the domestic arms industry. This is because of the country's need for weapons that are capable of meeting the defence requirements of the country.
India had never been able to make its own weapons. India began importing major weapons from Russia in 2012, accounting for around 70% of total major arms imports from Russia. The government has begun to promote indigenous production of weapons for India's Army and Air Force. The policy of "Make in India" prioritizes the production of indigenous weapons parts and equipments. This is not all. The Indian Air Force has also stressed the importance in manufacturing indigenous weapons.
France, on the other hand, has been a major supplier of military equipments to India for decades. France's major weapons programs have been successful in the recent past. The French army invented the Leclerc main battle tank in the early 1980s. This was to help them fight in high intensity conflicts in Europe. After two decades of study, the program was launched in 1986.
France launched a main battle tank and two missile programs. These programs were meant to keep France ahead of the competition and to ensure that the Soviet armored columns would not be able to advance into Western territories. Both programs were successful. However, the French military's ability and willingness to accept smaller-scale projects has hampered its ability to achieve its strategic objectives.
Grands Programmes logic is still a core element of French military planning. It has faced significant criticism. While the logic of the Grands Programmes has been criticised, its implementation is essential in ensuring that the French military can continue to remain cutting-edge.