India Stocks Up On Russian, Israeli Ammunition As Borders Remain Tense

Faced with deteriorating security situation in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and skirmishes on the border with Pakistani force, India has kick-started the Fast Track Purchase (FTP) process to procure ammunition from international suppliers, including Russia and Israel.

The FTP process allows the government to purchase equipment that is already in use with the Indian military from readily available vendors by issuing the so-called "acceptance of necessity" document, brushing aside prescribed routine acquisition procedures such as Request For Information (RFI) and field trials.

According to IHS Jane's, various Indian committees traveled to Russia and Israel to negotiate the purchase of more than INR50 billion (USD757 million) worth of special forces equipment and ammunition such as howitzer shells, tank ammunition and missiles for helicopter gunships and fighter aircraft.

"Small teams constituting senior defense service officials and MoD procurement officials have been sent to Russia and Israel to quickly purchase a variety of ammunition and other essential requirements," a Ministry of Defense (MoD) official was quoted by Defence News as saying.

An appraisal revealed that the Russian-made T-72 and T-90 tanks had only two to three days of wartime reserve, the official added. There is a shortage of armor-piercing, fin-stabilized, discarding-sabot (APFSDS) ammunition and anti-tank rounds, and ammunition for the Russian Sukhoi-30 aircraft and Mi-35 gunships.

Last year, the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) stated in its report that mandatory War Wastage Reserve of ammunition, which should be 40 days, is available only for 10 percent of ammunition, with 90 percent of ammunition types facing shortages.

The fast-track procurement of ammunition by the end of 2016 will replenish stocks, which have been fast depleting since 2008.