The Indian government is pushing on arms exports with the aim of achieving strategic autonomy. Suffice it to say that the Philippines recently announced the purchase of three batteries of Brahmos cruise missiles made by New Delhi at a cost of 330 million euros. This is a milestone for the Indian Defense industry. 

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), India was the second largest arms importer in the world between 2016 and 2020. It is clear how defense policies now focus on developing its own systems and to export them, while reducing spending. The contract with Manila represents a third of the value of India's arms exports in 2021, when they reached one billion Euros. It is a trend that has lasted since 2018, while for years sales had stabilized at a few tens of millions per year. 

With the export of armaments New Delhi also aims to contain Chinese influence in Asia and the Indian Ocean. Burma, currently India's largest customer, has bought second-hand firing systems, radar, sonar, torpedoes and a submarine. The Maldives, Mauritius, and Seychelles have purchased Hal Dhruv transport aircraft and light helicopters. However, India's ambitions still suffer from the lack of credibility of its defense industry.