Indian Navy Pushes Tech Self-Reliance

BENGALURU, India — The Indian navy on Jan. 5 declared its commitment to helping the nation become self-reliant in critical defense technologies.

Rear Adm. D.M. Sudan, assistant chief of the naval staff for air, says homegrown products enhance India’s strategic flexibility. The navy is widely perceived as the only wing of the Indian armed forces that backs indigenous defense research and development (R&D), as compared to the army and air force.

“Imports will have to be arrested and we will have to reduce our dependency on foreign suppliers and manufacturers,” Sudan told a select group of scientists and technologists in Bengaluru. “Today, the navy is operating many ships that are designed and developed [by] Indian industries. We are completely committed to the Defense Research and Development Organization [DRDO] and are closely watching various projects that [are] undergoing trials.”

Given the growing expectations of the Indian armed forces, Sudan says there should be a better dialogue between national R&D organizations and the Indian navy. “We certainly need to communicate better, and we are keen to know the strengths of Indian R&D firms,” he says.

“The private sector must be encouraged and roped in more for speedy production. Nonavailability of critical technology is a matter of great concern, and hence we are now entering into [joint ventures] with key players.”

He says the only way India can reduce its imports of foreign military technology is if DRDO’s work can be passed more quickly through industries to the Indian armed forces.

“Modernization should go hand in hand with indigenization,” he declares. “The Indian navy is also closely watching developments with laser-guided bombs that are developed by DRDO.”

The Indian armed forces rarely come out so strongly in support of DRDO, which often suffers delays and cost overruns. For example, the naval prototype (NP-1) of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft is expected to have its first flight by March, although Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony had said it would fly before the end of 2010.

“It is late by 3-4 months and that can’t be called a huge delay,” says Dr. Prahlada, DRDO’s chief controller. “We are ensuring that everything is in place and don’t want to hurry through. We will have the first flight of NP-1 in March.”