THE SUPPLY OF WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION TO ISRAEL

Amnesty International

Amnesty International revealed that Indian companies exported at least 390,516 small arms parts, 564,970 explosive ordnance components, and 298 military vehicle parts to major Israeli defence contractors following 7 October 2023. Analysis of 2,596 shipments indicates that state-owned Defence Public Sector Undertakings and private firms maintained material flows to primary suppliers of the Israeli armed forces, despite warnings regarding potential complicity in international crimes.

These transfers occur amidst ongoing military operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry designated as genocide, resulting in over 73,000 reported casualties as of July 2026. Although domestic judicial challenges faced inaction, international legal frameworks and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights obligate states to prevent supply chain involvement in unlawful acts. The report demands an immediate arms embargo, calling for severed corporate ties with Elbit Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and Israel Aerospace Industries.

Comment

Co-production arrangements between Israeli defence majors and Indian Defence Public Sector Undertakings have integrated South Asian manufacturing hubs into Tier-2 and Tier-3 component supply lines for platforms like the Hermes 900 UAV. This distributed production architecture decouples sub-assembly manufacturing from domestic Israeli facilities, insulating companies such as Elbit Systems from localized surge bottlenecks during prolonged high-intensity combat. Consequently, regulatory or diplomatic friction targeting these flows creates immediate structural vulnerabilities across assembly lines that depend on specialized component deliveries from Indian facilities.

Strategic Question for Discussion

If regulatory or legal pressures force a suspension of sub-component exports from Indian Defence Public Sector Undertakings, which alternative supply chain mechanisms can Elbit Systems leverage to maintain production rates for platforms like the Hermes 900 UAV without incurring severe operational delays?

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