Also Read: Thales unveils an anti-aircraft shield capable of detecting missiles from a distance of 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) and responding within seconds<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nIn practical terms, that\u2019s more industry, more testing, more fuel, and more long-term logistics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A missile with strategic reach<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The R-37M is not designed mainly for close dogfights. It is built to threaten high-value aircraft such as airborne warning planes, jammers, reconnaissance aircraft, and tankers, the flying nerve centers that help fighter jets see farther and stay in the air longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Public figures vary depending on the version and flight profile. Rosoboronexport\u2019s<\/a> export listing for the RVV-BD gives a maximum range of up to 200 kilometers (122 miles), a 60-kilogram warhead (132 lbs.), and guidance that combines inertial navigation, radio correction, and active radar homing near the end of flight. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSCMP, citing Russian figures, reported a longer operational range of about 300 to 400 kilometers (185 to 250 miles) and speed around Mach 6 for the R-37M.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why India wants it now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The timing is not accidental. India is trying to strengthen its airpower after recent tensions with Pakistan and long-running friction with China, while both rivals continue to invest in longer-range missiles<\/a>, drones, and sensor networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn that kind of air war, the first side to blind the other side\u2019s support aircraft may gain the upper hand before fighter pilots ever see one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is also a technology-sovereignty angle. India has been developing its own Astra beyond-visual-range missile family, and an official 2025 statement said the Astra missile with an indigenous radio-frequency seeker was successfully flight-tested from a Su-30MKI, with a range exceeding 100 kilometers (60 miles). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the Russian missile may serve, to a large extent, as a bridge while India pushes its own weapons programs forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hidden environmental cost<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A $1.2 billion missile purchase is also a business story for defense contractors and supply chains. Yet those supply chains do not float above the climate system. Fighter operations, missile production<\/a>, engine maintenance, base infrastructure, and transport logistics all sit inside a fossil-fuel-heavy world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAlso Read: North Korea\u2019s missiles looked like crude copies from another era, but Ukraine says the real danger is how Russia keeps turning outdated tech into war power<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nMost people spot pollution in traffic jams, exhaust fumes, or when the summer electric bill spikes. Military emissions are harder to see. They often happen behind base fences, inside classified budgets, or across industrial networks that are not broken out clearly in public climate data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The military emissions gap<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A 2025 study in Nature Communications found a statistically significant link between rising global military expenditure and higher CO2 emission intensity. The authors pointed to military bases and operations, weapons production, post-conflict rebuilding, and damage to carbon-storing landscapes as major sources that should not be ignored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That does not mean every missile deal can be converted neatly into a carbon number. It does mean the missing data is a real problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/russia-india-r-37m-missiles-su-30mki-deal.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
India’s reported acquisition of 300 R-37M missiles aims to drastically extend the striking range of its Su-30MKI fighter fleet against high-value enemy targets.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Conflict and Environment Observatory has warned that military emissions reporting under the UN climate system remains voluntary and inconsistent, while estimates put the global military carbon footprint at about 5.5% of global emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spending is rising everywhere<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
By SIPRI\u2019s count, world military expenditure rose 2.9% in real terms to $2.887 trillion in 2025, the highest level the institute has recorded. The United States, China, Russia, Germany, and India were the five largest spenders, together making up 58% of the global total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is why India\u2019s reported R-37M purchase is bigger than one weapons contract. It is part of a global pattern in which countries are spending more on air defense, drones, missiles, and long-range strike systems<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe trouble is, climate accounting has not kept up with the speed of modern rearmament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What readers should keep in mind<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There is one important caveat. The R-37M deal has been widely reported, but the official Indian statement on the broader procurement package did not publicly mention the missile. That distinction matters because defense reporting often moves faster than confirmed government paperwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\nAlso Read: A Patriot air defense shift toward the Gulf is setting off alarms in Europe as the missiles being moved may leave a dangerous gap where few expected one<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nAt the end of the day, the question is not whether India has security concerns\u2013it clearly does. The question is whether modern militaries<\/a> can keep buying more advanced systems while giving citizens a clearer view of the environmental costs attached to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe official statement on India\u2019s wider acquisition package was published on Press Information Bureau<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Russia has reportedly cleared the export of about 300 R-37M ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles to India in a deal valued at … <\/p>\n
SCMP, citing Russian figures, reported a longer operational range of about 300 to 400 kilometers (185 to 250 miles) and speed around Mach 6 for the R-37M.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why India wants it now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The timing is not accidental. India is trying to strengthen its airpower after recent tensions with Pakistan and long-running friction with China, while both rivals continue to invest in longer-range missiles<\/a>, drones, and sensor networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In that kind of air war, the first side to blind the other side\u2019s support aircraft may gain the upper hand before fighter pilots ever see one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is also a technology-sovereignty angle. India has been developing its own Astra beyond-visual-range missile family, and an official 2025 statement said the Astra missile with an indigenous radio-frequency seeker was successfully flight-tested from a Su-30MKI, with a range exceeding 100 kilometers (60 miles). <\/p>\n\n\n\n So the Russian missile may serve, to a large extent, as a bridge while India pushes its own weapons programs forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A $1.2 billion missile purchase is also a business story for defense contractors and supply chains. Yet those supply chains do not float above the climate system. Fighter operations, missile production<\/a>, engine maintenance, base infrastructure, and transport logistics all sit inside a fossil-fuel-heavy world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most people spot pollution in traffic jams, exhaust fumes, or when the summer electric bill spikes. Military emissions are harder to see. They often happen behind base fences, inside classified budgets, or across industrial networks that are not broken out clearly in public climate data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A 2025 study in Nature Communications found a statistically significant link between rising global military expenditure and higher CO2 emission intensity. The authors pointed to military bases and operations, weapons production, post-conflict rebuilding, and damage to carbon-storing landscapes as major sources that should not be ignored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That does not mean every missile deal can be converted neatly into a carbon number. It does mean the missing data is a real problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Conflict and Environment Observatory has warned that military emissions reporting under the UN climate system remains voluntary and inconsistent, while estimates put the global military carbon footprint at about 5.5% of global emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By SIPRI\u2019s count, world military expenditure rose 2.9% in real terms to $2.887 trillion in 2025, the highest level the institute has recorded. The United States, China, Russia, Germany, and India were the five largest spenders, together making up 58% of the global total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is why India\u2019s reported R-37M purchase is bigger than one weapons contract. It is part of a global pattern in which countries are spending more on air defense, drones, missiles, and long-range strike systems<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The trouble is, climate accounting has not kept up with the speed of modern rearmament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is one important caveat. The R-37M deal has been widely reported, but the official Indian statement on the broader procurement package did not publicly mention the missile. That distinction matters because defense reporting often moves faster than confirmed government paperwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the end of the day, the question is not whether India has security concerns\u2013it clearly does. The question is whether modern militaries<\/a> can keep buying more advanced systems while giving citizens a clearer view of the environmental costs attached to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The official statement on India\u2019s wider acquisition package was published on Press Information Bureau<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Russia has reportedly cleared the export of about 300 R-37M ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles to India in a deal valued at … <\/p>\nThe hidden environmental cost<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Also Read: North Korea\u2019s missiles looked like crude copies from another era, but Ukraine says the real danger is how Russia keeps turning outdated tech into war power<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
The military emissions gap<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Spending is rising everywhere<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What readers should keep in mind<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Also Read: A Patriot air defense shift toward the Gulf is setting off alarms in Europe as the missiles being moved may leave a dangerous gap where few expected one<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n