My interest in military started in USA in 1998, when I worked close to Wall Street and bought several books on military and wars (2nd world war).
I have no formal military background.
I have visited a large number of war related museums in the USA and Canada just to understand military affairs. It is a hobby.
The equipment that is hard to manufacture like large calibre guns, tanks, AFVs etc. must have reserves as wartime requirements can always be more than expected.
I think modern war is a test of a country's industrial capability. Generally a country with greater industrial capability will prevail.
It is not only the quality but also quantity that will decide the winner. The quantity must not be forgotten.
For example, you take two 155mm guns, one costs 5 million and is more accurate. Another costs 1 million and is less accurate. Surely 5 million gun is more desirable but both guns face equal risk in battlefield. The 5 million gun does not give you less attrition.
Artillery is meant to fire so why keep guns in reserve which do not fire ? What is the use of larger guns being as war wastage reserves as the physical destruction suffred by guns is very less. Reserves are meant for those components which are liable to be destroyed physically such as tanks and men and replacing them is necessary to maintain required momentom in battle.
So far the question of quality versus quantity is concerned , it is a big debate and countries follow doctrines based on their comparative strengths in capacity and capability - in technical excellence, industrial production, availability of raw material, economic strength and visualised war scenarios.
However, the RMA ( Revolution in Military Affairs) emphasises in quality to gain dominance in the battle fields. A precision guided bomb may be able to do a job which thousand of blind bombs may not be able to do. A precision high explosive Brahmos may be able to destroy a target which less precision nuclear Prithavi missile may not be able to achieve. Here the high cost of precision weapons thus is made up as compared to less precise but cheap systems.
On the other hand, if one has requirement of a very large numbers of system for prolonged operations over a very large frontages in order to tackle large targets, then there could be no choice but go in for cheaper and larger quantity systems. That is what was Soviet doctrine some times back.
India as a country requires both - Large quantity as also very good quality to deal with conventional level as also to tackle day to day sub conventional objectives.
In Artllary, India requires -
better explosives,
better ranges
better metallurgy,
Guided shells
Modern Fuses
Mobility
better logistics
Air portability
Amphibiousness
Versatility in changing roles and terrain..
In nutshell India requires good field and Medium guns...
