India Approves $25 Billion in Defense Acquisitions Including S-400 Systems and Drones

India's defense ministry has approved acquisition proposals worth about $25 billion, including Russian S-400 air defense systems, combat drones, transport aircraft, anti-armor ammunition, artillery systems, aerial surveillance platforms, upgrades for Sukhoi-30 fighter jets and coast guard hovercraft.

The approvals were cleared on Friday ahead of a record-high fiscal year for defense spending. In the fiscal year ending March 31, India greenlit 55 proposals worth $71 billion and 503 contracts totaling 2.28 trillion rupees.

Separately, India signed a $47 million contract with Russia's JSC Rosoboronexport for Tunguska air defense missile systems.

The moves reflect efforts to modernize the military amid regional tensions, including the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict and ongoing border frictions with China.

India is the world's fifth-largest military spender and second-largest arms importer after Ukraine, according to SIPRI data.