In my view, the concept of reverse engineering has been misunderstood. Reverse engineering is NOT the mindless copying of a product or weapon. Reverse engineering is actually a shortened form of research and development (i.e. R&D).
Let's say that you and I are both in the business of building cars. However, your car is better than mine. Isn't it common sense for me to obtain a sample of your car and study the features and reasons that your car model is better than mine? After a thorough examination, doesn't it make sense for me to improve my product by incorporating your best ideas from the detailed research or reverse engineering?
Reverse engineering - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Reverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, object or system through analysis of its structure, function and operation. It often involves taking something (e.g., a mechanical device, electronic component, or software program) apart and analyzing its workings in detail to be used in maintenance, or to try to make a new device or program that does the same thing without utilizing any physical part of the original.
Reverse engineering has its origins in the analysis of hardware for commercial or military advantage.[1] The purpose is to deduce design decisions from end products with little or no additional knowledge about the procedures involved in the original production. The same techniques are subsequently being researched for application to legacy software systems, not for industrial or defence ends, but rather to replace incorrect, incomplete, or otherwise unavailable documentation.[2]"
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Let's look at the two examples in the first two posts. China's Yu-6 is clearly a reverse-engineered U.S. Mark-48 heavyweight torpedo. What kind of torpedo is the U.S. using today? The Mark-48. Conclusion: reverse-engineering of the Mark-48 that resulted in the Yu-6 enabled China to catch-up to the U.S. in heavyweight torpedo technology. One U.S. Mark-48 heavyweight torpedo can split a destroyer into two halves. Similarly, a Chinese Yu-6 torpedo can achieve the same devastating effect.
The allegation that China reverse-engineered the W-88 has never been proven. The seismic signatures look similar, but they are not identical. Anyway, for argument's sake, let's assume that China reverse-engineered the W-88. What is the most advanced warhead in the U.S. nuclear arsenal today? The W-88. Using alleged reverse-engineering, China has equal technology and capability in the Chinese W-88. Conclusion: either independent research and development or reverse-engineering (e.g. studying the blueprints of the other team) has resulted in China matching U.S. thermonuclear technology in terms of warhead compactness and yield.
The point is that reverse-engineering is merely one useful tool to help a nation match the military and technological capabilities of another country. Reverse-engineering is a good thing.
India's Nuclear Weapons Program - Present Capabilities
India's Nuclear Weapons Program - Present Capabilities
"The Prithvi is a descendant of an earlier program called "Project Devil", an attempt to reverse engineer the Soviet SA-2 liquid fuel surface-to-air missile by the Defense Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) at Hyderabad. This latter project, initiated under the leadership of Dr. Dr. Basanti Dulal Nag Chaudhuri, was a failure and was cancelled in 1978; nonetheless valuable experience and technical skill was obtained which provided the basis for Prithvi."
Overconfidence Fails Cryogenic Engine | iGoa
Overconfidence Fails Cryogenic Engine | iGoa
"India needs to thank erstwhile Soviet Union and present day Russian republic for the design and blue prints of cryogenic engines. When foreign countries transfer such designs and blueprints there is always a risk in replicating them. Theoretically it is possible for every country to be technologically self reliant. But, practically, it is not possible.
Americans imitated the Germans. Japanese imitate the Americans. Chinese imitate every other country. India is good in reverse engineering foreign technologies. Whats the meaning of indigenisation? It is not an absolutely new design for a cryogenic engine. Indigenisation means fabrication or assembly of the engine indigenously but we really dont know the extent of foreign components incorporated in an Indian cryogenic engine."
ISRO chief on India's big leap
"Q. But it almost looks like a Russian engine...
A. See cryogenics is a liquid Oxygen and liquid Hydrogen. It is a staged combustion cycle that is there. But we have realized it, the Indians have designed it, the Indians have built it, and 75 percent of the materials are from India that is used.
Q. So it is not reverse engineered?
A. Absolutely.
Q. Because it is really one is to one so how do you say it is not reverse engineered? How can you make people believe that you did not copy the Russian design?
A. It is not one is to one. But if you see the specifications of putting in at that class of the satellite if you work out what is the velocity that needs to be added by the upper stage of the engine- same number you have to provide. So whether it is a Russian engineer designing or Indian engineer designing, it is to the same specification."
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I don't understand the need to deny the obvious. India has already tried to reverse-engineer the "Soviet SA-2 surface-to-air missile." I think many people are more willing to trust their eyes than to believe the claims of the ISRO chief, who is too proud to admit the truth.
The ISRO chief isn't making much sense. The American, Russian, and Chinese cryogenic engines look completely different. They are truly indigenous designs. Why does the Indian cryogenic engine look like the Russians'? Isn't the answer obvious? It's at least partially reverse-engineered.
If the cryogenic engine is fully indigenous, how come 25% of the parts are being imported? Doesn't it make more sense that India has reverse-engineered 75% (e.g. a great achievement for a first attempt) of the Russian cryogenic engine and the 25% that hasn't been reverse-engineered yet must be imported?
After India can fully manufacture 100% of a reverse-engineered Russian cryogenic engine, she will go on to design and build more advanced indigenous versions. This is a natural progression. Reverse-engineering is a necessary intermediate step. It is not realistic to start from zero and build a fully indigenous 28-nanometer computer microprocessor.
Why dance around the issue? There is nothing wrong with reverse-engineering. The Romans reverse-engineered Carthage's superior trireme to finally defeat the Carthaginian navy with their own warship design.
Carthage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carthage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Roman trireme mosaic from Carthage, Bardo Museum, Tunis ... managed to finally defeat Carthage with a combination of reverse engineering captured ..."
