Indian defence forces
keep suffering due to inability of existing indigenous production houses to
cope up with the merging technologies. Not blaming anyone, aim is to generate
an alternative option in harmony with the national competence and needs. In fact the
services have a very high degree of competence with significant number of
officers having obtained technical qualifications from IIT and Universities in
US. Unfortunately this resource is untapped and interaction with at the
professional technical level severly lacking.
The existing system has
three components, the service HQ project the need of equipment for next few
years through documents laying down the long/mid/short term needs. The DRDO is
expected then to produce/outsource/import this technology/ need as the case may
be. As of today the private sector has not got involved seriously in defence
equipment manufacture apart from vehicles etc, the PSU production houses have
not been able to produce equipment desired by the defence forces. Arjun tank/INSAS
are two equipments which do not need rocket science or extremely high end
technology. There is a perception mismatch between the services and PSU and
time delay ensures near obsolescence of technology offered. Time and financial
penalty leads to defence forces getting left behind.
Today the defence
export industry is one of the biggest and needs to be tapped. US, Russia, China
and Israel lead the world arms trade but are unwillingly to share the cutting
edge technology. It may not be distrust but its more to do with the fear of
theft and illegal copying and there by posing a challenge to own industry. One
therefore must be prepared for that.
In most of the arms
producing exporting nations following stand out:
Very intimate interaction between the end user
and the designer/producer is of crucial importance. This starts from the
initial stages when the need parameters are being spelt out. This is the most
complex exercise involving the best brains trying to analyse what is available;
what could be available and what needs to be made available. This implies the existing
industry capability, the likely capability in that particular filed in the time
frame that the equipment is required and the capability of the brains on the
possibility to produce new technology and the effort required in terms of
finances/brain power. In this the scan involves the best that is available and
not confined to government officials. This gives the user, the designer and
producer an idea about the complexity and the probability of success. This also
ensures the commitment of resources, the task allotment to super specialists
for research and development, additional infrastructure both soft and hard. The
private sector is driven by profits and not there for charity or patriotism
therefore expect an extremely high quality effort to meet the user
expectations. In fact tying up with second rung industrial houses in US, who
offer almost the same technology may be two tears old, can give a boost to own
industry. And there are enough of such capabilities in the US. Once the basics capability/projected
technology production feasibility identified, the basic prototype deal is
sealed and the work commences. This is followed by regular interaction to view
the slippages more focused on research side or any option which may be
generated by any new technology that may have sprung up.
Joint ventures/hiring
best brains from the world is an option which can better be exercised by the
private sector. The Chinese are known for reverse engineering and stealing
designs at early stages of conception and then researching further or making so
called indigenous with such inputs. We have been absolutely passive in
exploiting this avenue.
Way ahead
Basic need parameter must
be jointly worked out amongst the best brains in the defence/civil, designers
and producers. All must sit together and brain storm what is available/what is likely
to be available and what component can be produced post research indigenously.
And finally want technology needs to be imported.
Once the basic design
is sealed and the responsibility assigned, regular interaction to monitor/slippages/design
betterment due to some better technology available would be required. Research
must focus on time spans of 5/10/20 years. If the user can identify his needs,
there is no reason as to why the technology needs for ten/twenty years cannot
be met through research or importing brains.
Once this is in place
results will automatically follow in a smooth manner and without any blame game
with least acrimony and maximum harmony by using the best brains delivering the
best products at very reasonable rates.
Win Win – improve
economy and influence and be counted. The defence expenditure would n ore be a
burden to the economists talking of aircrafts vs schools or guns vs butter
