If prime minister-elect Narendra Modi - seen as a pro-business and decisive leader - lives up to his reputation and cuts bureaucracy and addresses corruption, it is certain to improve the long-term outlook for India's defence modernisation and procurement programmes. Despite fielding a million-plus strong military that is one of the largest and most professional in the region, India faces significant challenges in adequately equipping, training, and maintaining armed forces that can meet the country's potential internal security risks and carry out deployments on its western and northern frontiers. Equipment deficiency, which is a serious concern for all three services, is a result of severe delays to procurements that have led to many platforms undergoing repeated upgrades to extend their operational lives. One clear consequence of this has been a spate of accidents that have hit the Indian Navy (IN) over the past 12 months and tarnished the induction of the modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya in early 2014.
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