Image Source: Agencies

July 31, 2025: New Delhi’s war-machine is majorly parented from Russia. In addition to the partnership for the BrahMos missile, whose effectiveness was demonstrated during Operation Sindoor, this includes substantial fleets of fighter jets, tanks, rifles, helicopters, and the S-400 air defense system. India and China are frequently accused by the United States and its European allies of purchasing military equipment and crude oil from Russia, which in turn funds the war against Ukraine. Today, President Trump of the United States stated that India would face not only a 25% tariff but also penalties for purchasing oil and weapons from Russia. He posted on social media platform Truth Social “they ( India) have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of energy…India will therefore be paying a tariff of 25%, plus a penalty for the above starting August 1”.
Though Trump blamed India for buying ‘a majority of military equipment from Russia’, New Delhi also purchased military equipment from the US that, so far, has been a buyer-seller relationship. India has not received technology transfer from the United States on any significant equipment, despite spending nearly $20 billion on purchases over the past decade and a half. This includes, General Electric F 404 engines, surveillance plane Boeing P8-I, transport planes C-17 and C-130J, helicopters, such as Chinook, Apache and MH60R.
Russia is more amenable to India’s demands of technology transfer. The majority of Sukhoi 30 MKI jets were manufactured in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited; T-90 tanks are manufactured at a facility near Chennai; and the AK 203 Rifle is manufactured at a facility near Lucknow. Russia and India collaborate to produce the BrahMos. Sweden-based Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in its annual report on March 10 this year said for a five-year block 2020-2024, India was the second largest importer of weapons globally. Russia was the source of 36% of these imports. In spite of India's efforts to become an independent nation, Russia and India share a strategic legacy and a cost-effective relationship that dates back to the Cold War. While the Soviet Union emerged as a trustworthy and willing partner, Western nations were hesitant to provide advanced weaponry to a "non-aligned" India. Between 60 and 70 percent of India's current military arsenal is thought to be Russian or Soviet in origin. This creates a significant logistical and operational hurdle to any rapid transition. India armed forces and their maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) ecosystem, including manufacturing facilities under license, a well-trained workforce, and a deeply ingrained institutional knowledge of Russian platforms.
Additionally, Indian military hardware was significantly less expensive than Western counterparts during the Soviet era.