Russia’s weapons customers seek alternatives as sanctions, supply issues bite
FORUM Staff
From Manila to New Delhi, Indo-Pacific defense leaders are ditching Russian-made weapons and other military systems amid concerns over depleted supplies and stringent sanctions imposed on Moscow for its unprovoked assault on Ukraine.
The Philippines confirmed in late October 2022 that it was scrapping a deal to buy 16 Russian military heavy-lift helicopters, The Associated Press (AP) reported. “We have secured an alternative supply from the United States,” Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said.
Days later, Philippine officials announced that Washington had offered to upgrade at least 12 of the 36 Sikorsky helicopters Manila is buying from the U.S. so they can be used for disaster response, The Manila Times newspaper reported. Funding for the helicopters, which will be built in Poland, comes from a U.S. $100 million grant from the U.S. for the Philippines’ defense modernization projects, officials said. The two allies have had a mutual defense treaty since 1951 and conduct bilateral and multilateral military exercises, including the long-running Balikatan series.
The Philippines’ decision to drop the deal with Moscow was prompted by worries that countries that buy Russian defense equipment could face Western sanctions.
“We’re very grateful to the government of the Philippines for making the decision, especially in the wake of Russia’s illegal attack and unprovoked war in Ukraine, to cancel the helicopter deal,” U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson said, according to The Manila Times.
The ramifications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are particularly acute for its biggest foreign weapons buyer, India, which has imported more than 60% of its arms from Moscow since 2010, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The war is straining Russia’s military and industrial base, leaving its traditional weapons customers fretting over supply disruptions and quality issues, as well as sanctions.
“The present world order and geopolitical scenario, which is very, very turbulent, has also taught us a lesson,” said Air Marshal Vibhas Pande, head of the Indian Air Force’s maintenance operations, Reuters reported in May 2022.
Like other Indo-Pacific nations, India is diversifying its weapons procurement by increasing cooperation with reliable partners such as the United Kingdom and the U.S., while also boosting its domestic defense industry. “In case [Russian] supply lines are strained, we have alternative options,” a government official told Reuters.
New Delhi’s military spending exceeded U.S. $76 billion in 2021, making it the world’s third-biggest spender behind the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China, SIPRI reported. Nearly two-thirds of the budget was for buying domestically manufactured arms under the government’s “self-reliant India” campaign, or Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Local companies are producing tanks, short- and long-range missiles, air defense and electronic warfare systems, and light combat aircraft such as the Tejas fighter jet, pictured, for the Indian Armed Forces and foreign markets. The nation’s first domestically built aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant, was commissioned in September 2022.
The war in Ukraine is accelerating a trend toward greater domestic defense production throughout the Indo-Pacific. Thailand’s Defense Technology Institute, for example, is partnering with academia and the private sector to develop armored vehicles, drones, rockets and offshore patrol vessels, among other military hardware.
In late October 2022, South Korean manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries announced a U.S. $308 million deal with the nation’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration to develop amphibious attack helicopters for the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, according to Yonhap, the government-affiliated news agency.
That same week, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup reported that Seoul’s arms exports hit a record U.S. $13 billion in the first nine months of 2022, as the government seeks to ensure the defense sector becomes a “national strategic” industry, Yonhap reported.
IMAGE CREDIT: REUTERS
