Use defence budget to boost innovation

source:economic times

The successful launch of the BrahMos missile from an Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30 MKI, a frontline fighter aircraft, marks a milestone for India’s defence capabilities. The missiles, developed and manufactured by a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation and Russia’s Reutov-based rocket and missile developers NPO Mashinostroyeniya, should propel India’s defence manufacturing and research & development and innovation capabilities to the next stage.

Only 35% of the missile components are indigenous. Major components such as booster, the ramjet engine, target seeker, homing device and the canister that stows the missile were provided by Russia. India needs to augment its defence manufacturing capabilities, to be able to pursue third-party sales. There are some early indications that the government is focused on revving up defence manufacturing with talks of manufacturing helicopters in collaboration with Russia. The Indian defence establishment must use a portion of its budget to motivate R&D in universities and specialised laboratories that would augment India’s manufacturing capabilities. Efforts like developing the special solid propellant used as fuel by the Brah-Mos missiles by the Pune-based DRDO lab, High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, needs to replicated and multiplied. Simultaneously, the defence research establishment must encourage R&D and innovation in ancillary areas that would yield technological advances that could have widespread military and civilian applications. The United States provides a clear example of this—the ubiquitous Internet and geo-positioning system are both products of defence-related research. US’ Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency sets a good example in this regard.

As India positions itself as a leading power, it must acknowledge that it must have its own technological and production capability in conventional arms and in cyber and biology-derived offensive and defensive capacity. To this end, India needs to radically overhaul defence planning and procurement.