India grabbed global headlines on April 19 by announcing the successful test of a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead as far as Beijing. Those not paying attention might be surprised by this display of military might -- India has now joined the U.N. Security Council permanent members and Israel in the small club of nations who can launch an inter-continental nuclear weapon -- but as FP's Joshua E. Keating pointed out in 2011's "Stories You Missed," the country's military build-up has been rapidly accelerating as of late. As he noted, a 2011 report by arms watchdog organization SIPRI said that India accounts for 9 percent of
international arms transfers from
2006 to 2010, and will spend up to $80 billion on
military modernization efforts by 2015.
The Indian government has expressed strong commitment to investments in long-term military capabilities, with a steady 2.5 to 3 percent of its GDP used on defense spending. As a result, the country's defense budget has increased 64 percent since 2001. Here are just a few of the items on India's military shopping list.
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