Indian Defence Industry-Is it Future Proof

Abstract

India is considered to be one of the major players in international affairs in the 21^st century. No other country in the world except India shares a land border with two nuclear armed hostile neighbours (i.e) China and Pakistan. In this case we need to have a strong and robust industry that is capable of meeting both the short term and long term requirements of the armed forces. Since India’s spending on research is pegged at 0.65% of its GDP compared to 1.5-3% of the GDP spent by the other leading powers in the World. We are lagging behind not only in terms of science and technology but also in terms of planning out things as well. Also the area in defence is said to be a field where new pathbreaking technologies are developed and the spinoffs can be developed for civilian uses and vice versa as well as to how oxygen generation plants have been set up all across India using defence technology during the second wave of the pandemic. There is a need to invest in future technologies both in the civilian and defence arena to either reduce or close the technological gap with the west as India is behind the west by decades not only in terms of technological prowess but also in the area of thought process as well. This brief study is aimed at finding the ways and means to develop the scientific and industrial base in our country in order to be self-reliant and according to the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ vision of India. The study is also aimed at exposing the fault lines briefly which will help to address the problems faced by the nation as a whole.