Who has failed India’s defence modernization/upgrade.?
Put the blame squarely at DRDO‘s operation. They are lethargic in operation; create complicated procedures to slow down work and overly hierarchical organization where responsibility and accountability is divided over many heads that means nobody is responsible, but if anything succeeds then there are too many people to take the credit. This is typical of a government department where less work is the motto. I give you an example: one, not so scientifically advanced Iran has built multiple Drones or flying bombs. The West called them unsophisticated wood stuff built by private individuals, but these blew the hell out of the Ukrainian infrastructure and cost only $20,000. Second, a not so advanced Turkey with only advantage being a NATO member has built Bayarktar UAVs which has won the war in Armenia, Syria and very close to destroying Russian invasion in Ukraine. It cost $5 million which is one tenth of similar UAVs built by US or Israel. It is again a private individual enterprise with government support.
My point is that …… why can private enterprise in india build a lot of military hardware which DRDO etc. are lethargically working. They will take 5 times longer to build; a private enterprise will take half the time and cost a lot less.
Only in last 30 years, had India encouraged private enterprise, then a lot would have been achieved? For example, heavy artillery gun making handed over to private sector has done wonders. It has even secured export order. I hate Indian generals who are throwing road blocks in placing orders for the local artillery gun for the Indian Army. Other examples are as follows:
1. I wish the fighter engine development work of 30 years and all monies spent could have been done in the private sector. then by now, we would have got our own engine. If enough science was unavailable in India then they would have tied up abroad dozens of years back. DRDO is doing that now and asking for too many alternatives.
2. Our immediately needed failure to build a cruise missile of 1000 miles range has resulted in many failures. Recent test was also a failure. This development work should be handed over to the private enterprise with lock stock and barrel, so this urgently needed missile becomes operational sooner than later.
3. I hate to see the DRDO shoving its hand in the building of UAV, UCAVs and flying bombs. It is urgently needed. Instead DRDO holding meetings upon meetings and preparing a specification sheet; if it is in private sector hands, these will be ready sooner than later. The science is already available internally at IITs and other places.
whatever is not available could be easily purchased….. speed is the key.
4. There are years of wait for urgently needed LCA -Mk2 and it’s twin engine derivative for Navy aircraft carriers. It is a bureaucratic play between DRDO and HAL. Both are inefficient organizations which behave like government department where no work and double the pay is the motto. HAL as well as aircraft development organization in DRDO should be privatized and handed over to private enterprises which can handle it better with discipline and accountability.
I wish you guys express your own opinions on this subject.
As for small drones, DRDO is not needed. And yes, even at colleges these things are being done, I have gotten a project sanctioned for an unarmed cannister launched drone myself.
DRDO should stick to large drones, like tapas, SWIFT, or maybe speciialised drones like for Anti Radiation drones.
There will be no twin engine derivative of LCA MK-2 - Where did you get that from? taking an aircraft from single engine to twin changes everything, you can do it without a fresh design.
As for missile development, no one in private sector has capability to anything even close to DRDO. Dont have this sort of mindset that private sector is some magician who will solve everything, if we tell private sector to make missile, only thing possible is a JV for screwdrivergiri of tomahawk or kalibr.
as for fighter development with only private partners in last 30 years, if we had done that, we would have exactly 0 planes or programs now, and would be stuck forever on imports. During the era of heavy sanctions, private companies would have been unable to suffer the cost of having to develop everything from scratch. Govt spends a lot more than any private company will be able to do, because they have a need to get profit.
My view - Allow private to compete with government. If they win, good. If they dont, "bahut bura hua vro".
Help them with tech where needed, but no need to strip public companies of projects. Leave easy stuff to private, take cutting edge for public, and for things in between, let them compete.
