@shiphone Any idea of R&D spending on defense, i know they are secretive but looking at the visible no. of programmes it could be more than your defense budget, making it par with US defense spending considering you get your jobs done cheaper than Americans.
1. the constitution of the
total and real American defense spending is very complicated or tricky, so is the China's and some other nations...
2. how should I answer the question? emmmm..... maybe in this way--- I noticed that DRDO's budget was included in Indian defence budget, so most of the R&D cost of defence projects and even personal spending of the R & D personnel should be the part of Indian defence spending... but in China's case, the situation is not so...at least most of R & D personnel are employed by the defence industry , and PLA only funds those chosen projects (with signed contract) from the own share of the Equipment procurement cost(around the 1/3 of the total defence budget) ...on the other hand , the defence industry sometimes would or had to use self-collected funds as the part (or all) of the R&D cost. if the project succeeds and final defence product is listed in the PLA Equipment Procurement Catalog with confirmed order, the R&D team would recover the R&D cost via higher charge of purchase contract...another situation is the central government would set up some national military science and tech R&D projects and funds them within national Special funds of science and technology Catalog. so .....
you are right
it could be more than your defense budget
3. but even so , I won't agree with you on "making it par with US defense spending considering you get your jobs done cheaper than Americans."....we are far behind and in the considerable long time, China won't even dream of reaching the hight of USA stands today...the American Defence industry was supported and funded by all over the world but it is deserved due to the military tech developed by them. their Defence industry is in a great virtuous circle which is very enviable, it's a result of the decades of investment and hardworking...if anyone want to beat them , you should work harder and it takes time and a little of luck...
the overwhelming Defence spending and technological superiority are the key foundation stone of the only superpower and dollar hegemony...American would go for this leading position at any cost...