Is DRDO To Blame for India’s Acute Import Dependence?

News: After the Ukraine conflict, DRDO has been blamed for India’s heavy dependence on other countries like Russia for their defence needs. However, there are many issues that are constraining the capabilities of DRDO.

What are the issues facing Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)?

First, DRDO is a demand-driven organization. It means the efficiency and success of DRDO’s projects depend upon the user’s requirements. For example, Arjun Main Battle Tank (MBT) was built as per the requirements of the Indian Army based on a Western tank. It achieved performance in terms of protection, mobility, and firepower comparable with any leading MBT in the world in its class. However, later it was found that tank has become heavier for transportation over the bridges near the border.

Second, Some experts also try to compare DRDO with US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). However, DARPA is a user independent organisation, means it is independent of US armed force’s requirements. It is like venture capital with an element of risk of failures.

Whereas, DRDO’s projects are user defined and it is only one link in the entire chain of defence development and production.

Third, some technologies are difficult to develop and reverse engineered. They require continuous investment over years without expectation of immediate return. This is not the case with DRDO. For example, Kaveri aero engine project was abandoned, even though it achieved some successes.

Fourth, DRDO has decentralised and it is embracing the private sector as a partner. Thus, it should not be held responsible for technical failures. It is working on the same lines as DARPA, like funding the private sector projects, under Technology Development Fund Scheme. Another, VDEX program is a defense ministry program, with a corpus of Rs 500 crore administered for developing techs for armed forces.

Source: This post is created based on the article “Is DRDO To Blame for India’s Acute Import Dependence?” published in Times of India on 3rd March.