Qatar - arms imports

Arms imports (constant 1990 US$)

The latest value for Arms imports (constant 1990 US$) in Qatar was 20,000,000 as of 2010. Over the past 42 years, the value for this indicator has fluctuated between 338,000,000 in 1998 and 2,000,000 in 1974.

Definition: Arms transfers cover the supply of military weapons through sales, aid, gifts, and those made through manufacturing licenses. Data cover major conventional weapons such as aircraft, armored vehicles, artillery, radar systems, missiles, and ships designed for military use. Excluded are transfers of other military equipment such as small arms and light weapons, trucks, small artillery, ammunition, support equipment, technology transfers, and other services.

Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Yearbook: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security.

Russia Exports 10 B

NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest arms importer in the world, overtaking even China, claims a report by a Swedish think-tank.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), in its report to be released on Monday, said India accounted for 9% of all international arms imports between 2006-2010, making it the world`s largest weapons importer.

Russia's arms exports are expected to hit an all-time high of over $10 billion in 2010, the head of Russia's state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Thursday.

In 2009 Russian arms sales were worth $8.5 billion, including $7.4 billion worth via Rosobornexport.

"Rosobornexport currently exports several thousand military products, expanding arms sales by $500-$600 million each year," Anatoly Isaykin told a news conference on the 10th anniversary of the company.

Rosobornexport's portfolio of export orders is estimated at $40 billion, Isaykin said.

Despite constantly expanding arms exports, Russia faces increasing competition on the international arms market from the United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom as well as Chinese military expansion.

Russia exports weaponry to over 100 countries.

Its main arms customers are India, Algeria, China, Venezuela, Malaysia and Syria. Vietnam also emerged as a key importer after it signed a deal to buy submarines, aircraft and other military hardware from Russia late last year.

India world's No. 1 arms importer 82% From Russia, China often equals.

China was relegated to second place, notching 6% of global arms imports, Siemon Wezeman of Sipri told international news agencies. The US remains the largest arms exporter, followed by Russia and Germany, as per the report.

This is not the first time that India has topped such an international list. As reported by TOI earlier, US Congressional Research Service's reports on conventional arms transfers placed India right at the top in 2004 and 2005, with agreements worth $5.7 billion and $5.4 billion respectively.

China, however, hides more than what it reveals. Beijing`s military expenditure figures as well as its acquisition of advanced weapon systems and platforms remain shrouded behind a thick iron curtain, which global monitors cannot penetrate easily.

Unlike India, China has rapidly built a robust domestic defence-industrial base (DIB) over the last couple of decades, which often also revels in reverse-engineering top-of-the-line weapon systems developed by other countries.

"China does spend staggering amounts in importing weapons from countries like Russia, often displacing even India as Russia`s largest defence customer,`` said an Indian defence official.

If India`s defence budget for the coming fiscal is pegged at $36 billion, China is "officially`` going to spend $91.5 billion. Experts, however, reckon that it will spend almost twice the amount on its 2.5-million strong People`s Liberation Army.

But all this does not take away from the fact that India has certainly cranked up the modernization of its armed forces since the 1999 Kargil conflict, inking arms deals worth over $50 billion since then, the majority of them with foreign armament majors from Russia, Israel, France, UK and now, increasingly the US, as tracked by TOI.

With limited private sector participation, coupled with DRDO, eight defence PSUs and 39 ordnance factories largely failing to deliver, India remains saddled with a poor DIB. So, with the armed forces continuing to import almost 70% of their requirements from abroad, India will remain a big time arms importer for the foreseeable future.

There are several mega defence projects in the pipeline, which will see also tie-ups with foreign companies for technology transfer for indigenous production. The gigantic $10.4 billion project to acquire 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft, for instance, is in the final lap now, with commercial negotiations slated to soon begin with the eventual winner among the six aviation majors in contention.

Two major deals on the verge of being inked are the over $2.1 billion deal for the Mirage-2000 fighter upgrade with France and the $4.1-billion one for 10 C-17 Globemaster-III strategic airlift aircraft with the US. India, incidentally, is likely to order another six C-17s after the first 10.

Then, the armed forces are looking to induct over 600 helicopters, ranging from VVIP and heavy-lift to attack and light utility ones, many of them from abroad, for well over Rs 20,000 crore.

Navy, in turn, is all worked up about launching its Project-75India to acquire six new-generation stealth submarines as soon as possible. The submarines, equipped with tube-launched missiles for land-attack capabilities and air-independent propulsion (AIP) to enhance operational capabilities, will be built in a project worth over Rs 50,000 crore.

The "granny`` of all defence projects will be the joint Indo-Russian project to develop the Sukhoi T-50 fifth-generation fighter aircraft. With IAF looking to induct 250 to 300 of these stealth fighters from 2020 onwards, India will eventually spend over $35 billion on this project alone.

Pakistan

Weapons industry

A MFI-17 Mushshak

POF Eye special-purpose weapon fitted with a semi-automatic pistol

Pakistan began with virtually no military production capability. By 1951, Pakistan had created the Pakistan Ordnance Factory at Wah Cantonment, near Rawalpindi, to produce small arms, ammunition, and explosives. During the period of reliance on United States supply, there was little attention given to domestic production, but after the assistance cutoffs in 1965 and 1971, Pakistan relied on China's help to expand its facilities, including the modernization of Wah. The Heavy Industries at Taxila was established in 1971 as an equipment rebuilding facility, followed in 1973 by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra, north of Islamabad. The air force assembled Chinese F-6s and French Mirages; produced the Mushak trainer, which was based on the Swedish SAAB Safari; maintained radar and avionics equipment; after the success of Mushak the Super Mushak and Karakoram-8 Advance jet state-of-art training platform were made.

The Ministry of Defence Production was created in September 1991 to promote and coordinate the patchwork of military production facilities that have developed since independence. The ministry also includes seven other specialized organizations devoted to research and development, production, and administration.

The navy is supported mainly by a facility at the Karachi Shipyard, which has limited production capacity. In 1987 development of a submarine repair and rebuild facility at Port Qasim was begun. By early 2000, in a joint project with China led to the development of the JF-17 Thunder fighter and the Al-Khalid Tank. Pakistan also has taken major steps to becoming self sufficient in aircraft overhaul and modernization and tank and helicopter sales and in a transfer of technology with France led to the construction of the Agosta 90 B Submarine in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

After the success of its major developments in the defence industry the Defence Export Promotion Organization (D.E.P.O.) was created to promote Pakistani defence equipment to the world by inviting major and small players to the I.D.E.A.S. Exhibition, which is held annually at the Karachi expo center. In recent reports, the defence exports were worth over $200 million USD in 2006 and growing annually.^[41]

Future plans

Army

Throughout the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) at Karachi in November 2006, Pakistani firms have signed joint development, production and marketing agreements with defence firms from South Korea, France and Ukraine. These agreements include new reactive armor bricks, 155 mm artillery shells, and other developments in armor and land weaponry. These agreements all relate to the Pakistan Army's AFFDP-2019 modernization program of its armor, artillery and infantry.

Air Force

Pakistan's indigenous produced JF-17 Thunder. Pakistan plans to induct over 300 of these fighters.

The Pakistan Air Force plans to retire several types of combat aircraft by 2019. Joint production and further development of the JF-17 Thunder light-weight multi-role fighter is ongoing and around 150 JF-17 are expected to be inducted by 2015, replacing all A-5C, F-7P, Mirage III and Mirage 5 fighter-bombers. The F-7PG will be replaced later and the JF-17 fleet may eventually be expanded to 300 aircraft.^[42] Orders have been placed for at least 36 Chengdu J-10 fighters from China,^[43] around 26 upgraded second-hand F-16AM/BM and at least 18 new-built F-16C/D Advanced Block 52. Two types of Airborne Early Warning & Control aircraft are to be introduced, 4 Saab 2000 Erieye AEW&C from Sweden and the ZDK-03, a Chinese AEW&C based on the Shaanxi Y-8F-600 cargo aircraft.^[44] The Il-78 aerial refuelling tanker is to be inducted and will be capable of refuelling the JF-17 and J-10, 4 are to be acquired second-hand from Ukrainian surplus stocks. The fleet of Shenyang FT-5 and T-37 Tweet is being replaced by around 75 K-8 Karakorum intermediate (jet) training aircraft.^[45]

Navy

Pakistan Navy Frigate PNS Shahjahan

Mclanery (ASW) Class For Pakistan Navy

PNS Babur

In 2005 Pakistan ordered four F-22P light frigates from China in a deal worth $600mn. The first is expected to be commissioned 2009 and the remainder by 2013.^[46] One of the frigates has already been completed and formally delivered to the navy, its formal induction in to the Pakistan Navy however, would take place at a later date. One of the F-22Ps will be built in the Karachi Shipyard. The F-22P is an improved version of the Type 053H3 Jiangwei II class light frigate, it has a displacement of at least 2500 tons.^[47] The first F-22P will be called PNS Zulfiqar, and thus become the Zulfiqar Class.^[46]

Plans to procure 4 used frigates were dropped in favour of 4 new-built corvettes. According to Turkish press the Pakistan Navy is reportedly interested in procuring the Milgem class corvettes from Turkey. The frigate USS McInerney (FFG-8) with considerable anti-submarine warfare capability will be handed over in August 2010.^[48]

According to Jane's IDEAS 2004 interview with former Pakistan Navy Chief ex-Admiral Kariumullah another four or so new frigates will be acquired. Kanwa Defence Review recently reported that the Pakistan Navy has shown recent interest in the Chinese Type 054 frigate.^[49]

In mid-2006 the Pakistan Navy announced its requirement of three new SSK attack submarines to replace the two Agosta-70 submarines and rebuild its fleet – after retiring the 4 Daphne class. French naval firm DCN offered its latest export design – the Marlin SSK – which is based on the Scorpene SSK, but also uses technology from the Barracuda nuclear attack submarine. The German firm HDW offered the U-214 SSK. Credible reports confirm that the Pakistan Navy has opted for the Gernman U-214's which will be built in Pakistan and includes transfer of technology. According to Walter Frietag the contract has been finalised 95 percent.^[50][51]

Pakistan is also seeking to enhance its strategic strike capability by developing naval variants of the Babur cruise missile. The Babur cruise missile has a range of 700 km and is capable of using both conventional and nuclear warheads.^[52] Future developments of Babur include capability of being launched from submarines, surface combatants as well as range extension from 500 km to 1000 km. The Airborne version of Babur, 'RAAD' has already been successfully tested.

LARGEST ARMS EXPORTERS

2001-10 Rank	Supplier	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
1	United States	5908	5229	5698	6866	6700	7453	8003	6288	6658	8641
2	Russia	5896	5705	5236	6178	5134	5095	5426	5953	5575	6039
3	Germany	850	916	1713	1105	2080	2567	3194	2500	2432	2340
4	France	1297	1368	1345	2219	1724	1643	2432	1994	1865	1834
5	United Kingdom	1368	1068	741	1316	1039	855	1018	982	1022	1054
6	China	499	509	665	292	303	597	430	586	1000	1423
7	Netherlands	203	239	342	209	583	1187	1326	530	545	503
8	Sweden	880	191	526	314	538	432	366	454	383	806
9	Italy	216	426	341	212	774	502	684	417	514	627
10	Israel	407	436	368	628	368	299	438	281	807	472
11	Ukraine	700	311	442	200	290	553	728	330	320	201
12	Spain	7	120	150	56	108	843	590	610	998	513
13	Switzerland	193	157	181	243	246	285	301	482	255	137
14	Bulgaria	200[10]	32[11]	48[11]	16[11]	66[11]	5[11]	9[11]	286[12]	198[13]	354[14]
15	Canada	129	170	263	265	226	226	334	227	169	258
16	South Korea	165	N/A	100	29	48	94	220	80	163	95

MAIN IMPORTERS OF ARMS

Current Rank	Importer	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
1	India	911	1242	1872	2802	2227	1036	1257	2179	1810	2116	3337
2	Australia	364	1191	647	798	505	470	682	629	380	757	1677
3	South Korea	1262	623	461	680	986	686	1650	1758	1821	1172	1131
4	Singapore	622	220	235	88	384	543	52	368	1123	1729	1078
5	United States	301	449	453	533	512	501	581	731	808	831	893
6	Algeria	418	553	237	197	272	156	308	471	1518	942	791
7	Saudi Arabia	80	59	555	159	1161	148	185	64	115	626	787
8	Greece	710	725	491	2241	1528	389	598	1796	563	1269	703
9	People's Republic of China	2015	3366	2819	2207	3080	3511	3831	1474	1481	595	559
10	United Arab Emirates	243	186	213	695	1246	2198	2026	938	748	604	493
11	Pakistan	158	397	533	592	385	332	262	613	939	1146	2580
12	Turkey	1170	553	1009	438	187	1005	422	585	578	675	468
13	Malaysia	30	26	131	135	48	51	410	546	541	1494	411
14	Norway	263	148	92	4	6	14	469	494	536	576	205
15	Indonesia	171	27	63	398	82	31	58	577	241	452	198

Reuters) - The United States accounted for more than two-thirds of foreign weapons sales in 2008, a year in which global sales were at a three-year low, The New York Times reported on Sunday.