Can India turn wartime ammo sales into lasting European defence ties?
A US$872 million ammo export windfall gave New Delhi a foot in the door. Turning crisis sales into a lasting presence may prove harder
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh cited a Bloomberg report last Friday stating that India had become the third-largest arms exporter to Europe under the “ReArm Europe” initiative – also known as Readiness 2030 – largely because of ammunition demand.
Bloomberg, citing Trade Data Monitor data sourced from India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, reported that Indian arms manufacturers had exported about US$872 million worth of ammunition, including artillery shells, mortar shells, propellant and explosives, to European countries since the Ukraine war began.
