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SE Asian nations spend $2.7 bln more on weapons, research

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Study comes ahead of weekend Shangri-La defence meet

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Gulf states make inroads amid European-Asian deals

By Greg Torode and Jun Yuan Yong

HONG KONG, May 28 (Reuters) - Spending on weapons and

research is spiking among some Asian countries as they respond

to a darkening security outlook by broadening their outside

industrial partnerships while trying to boost their own defence

industries, a new study has found.

The annual Asia-Pacific Regional Security Assessment released

on Wednesday by the London-based International Institute for

Strategic Studies (IISS) said outside industrial help remains

vital even as regional nations ultimately aim for self-reliance.

"Recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, coupled

with worsening U.S.-China strategic competition and

deterioration of the Asia-Pacific security landscape, may lead

to a rising tide of defence-industrial partnerships," it read.

"Competitive security dynamics over simmering flashpoints

... feed into the need to develop military capabilities to

address them."

Spending on defence procurement and research and development

rose $2.7 billion between 2022 and 2024, it showed, to reach

$10.5 billion among Southeast Asia's key nations of Indonesia,

Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The spike comes even as the nations spent an average of 1.5%

of GDP on defence in 2024, a figure that has kept relatively

constant over the last decade.

The study, released ahead of this weekend's annual

Shangri-La Dialogue defence meeting in Singapore, said

Asia-Pacific nations still rely on imports for most key weapons

and equipment.

Such items range from submarines and combat aircraft to

drones, missiles and advanced electronics for surveillance and

intelligence gathering.

The informal Singapore gathering of global defence and

military officials is expected to be dominated by uncertainties

stemming from the protracted Ukraine conflict, Trump

administration security policies and regional tension over

Taiwan

and the disputed busy waterway of the

South China Sea

.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are increasingly

active and making inroads, the study said, though European

companies have a prominent and expanding regional presence, via

technology transfer, joint ventures and licenced assembly deals.

The UAE now operates a diversified network of collaborators,

such as China's NORINCO weapons giant and rival India's

Hindustan Aeronautics.

Joint development operations are not always easy, the study

said, offering lessons from India's two-decade collaboration

with Russia to produce the BrahMos supersonic anti-ship missile.

While the feared weapon is fielded by India, exports have

been hampered by lack of a clear strategy, with deliveries to

its first third-party customer, the Philippines, starting only

in 2024, the study added.

Closer Russia-China ties could further complicate the

weapon's development, particularly if Moscow chooses to

prioritise ties with Beijing to develop a hypersonic version of

the missile.