DRDO - Boon or Bane?

[Abingdonboy]

Talking about DRDO as a single homogeneous entity whose failures and successes can be equally weighted is beyond foolish. DRDO is made up of more than 50 divisions spread out across India all working on their own projects and whilst some have delivered sub-optimal performance, some have more than delivered. Additionally one must separate failures on DRDO's part and those of the production agencies (for example HAL or OFB).

Of course there is massive room to improve performance across the board but using such a broad brush to generalise the efforts of thousands of scientists working on hundreds of projects using such a binary "boon/bane" or "success/failure" methodology is intellectually dishonest.

Everybody is entitled to have opinions. For some DRDO work is awesome , for some a good achievement, for some moderate and for others not upto mark.. So it depends from which side you are seeing really..

As such its true that DRDO did achieve awesome results in multiple projects but delivered major letdowns in many others..
Chiefly one must understand whats the best challenges to DRDO really not doing in projects which are at times very critical in nature

1. Money- The amount of money that India really spends in R&D is much less than perhaps other nations who have achieved far more self reliance domestically. We must not forget India real economic boom is more in last 20 years or so.. You cannot expect India of 1970s 1980s spending a big proportion in research projects.
Strangely, even now we have still not poured a descent amount as % of GDP in R&D. That is one area which is always a big issue

2. First Time Experience: Most of the projects DRDO is making is not reverse engineering but rather first time developing implying more of greenfield in nature. These kind of projects will have the 4 risks running from External, Industrial, Internal and Financial Risks at any point of time. Thus, what we are getting as results and failures are part of learning curve.

3. Time and Technology: A very important point indeed as some times the efficacy of achieving the success in DRDO projects is lost as the time and technology has advanced. Numerous times, projects midway needs course correction to be in line with whats really the latest or last but latest technology of present times. This does create a much longer gestation period. At times we are dependent on many technological things from abroad and that creates a bigger issue if there is a push to deny India technology due to any reason. Such stories messes up the entire project timelines in a big way,

4. Effective Management team for Projects and revolutionary leaders: Not all project teams are good at project mgmt skills . India did not clone APJ Kalam Sir or else guys like him at the helm of different projects could have resulted in much better results and success stories. At times, we also lack the best manpower available. Not bcz of the lack of talent pool but rather due to financial assistance to a employee in PSU vs Private sector, Over time india had corrected that with numerous Pay revisions but such fat corrections are more relevant in Banks and oil companies much less in places like DRDO or Def PSU's

5. Comparing different eggs and yardstick: As we see the success of Indian Missile program and Indian Space program we tend to feel that DRDO is let down in other programs. The same yardstick rule and comparing a missile success to an Supersonic aircraft success is wrong. Its not that both systems are not complex. But at different point of times due to various factors like few mentioned in point 1-4 can have critical impact. An example is that for missile the tech is more inhouse but in LCA, we got partial success for the heart of the bird - the Kaveri program. Again, point 1 - Money was not that much available to be pumped in every critical technology R&D.. Its just an example i am giving.

6. Too many projects: Success in few makes DRDO become too ambitious and take too many projects over time. This effectively divided the best brain and their respective manpower thereby running not parallel processing but rather an overloaded quest for parallel processing in projects. Result is based on priority certain projects gets a go ahead and certain are delayed. But we only see that project X got delayed for so many years not understanding why GOI did not say pls do what you are having atm and concentrate on those projects ONLY. Later you can expand your portfolio when some projects are executed and passed on to production.


Thus, my feeling is its a mixed bag for DRDO. With limited budget and shoe string R&D spending whatever it has achieved is quite remarkable. But for India to be self sufficient many critical program needs a urgency and a budget to match R&D spendings with developed nations or even China. The effective project management skills and identification of future leaders needs to be done more and needs to be groomed to find more Kalams who can change ethe fate of projects and lead Men/Women to efficient team performance.

Dont get colored by Tejas or Arjun or INSAS or Extreme cold weather gears. Developing all this in house requires time and money and factors as discussed above.

The only hope (and urgent need) is that DRDO dont slowdown more in coming days and gears up to be a robust organisation spearheading the nations requirement in a big way.

Nice analysis brother.

Dont get colored by Tejas or Arjun or INSAS or Extreme cold weather gears. Developing all this in house requires time and money and factors as discussed above.

None of the above are failures @PARIKRAMA , far from it.

 

[zzebie]

Everybody is entitled to have opinions. For some DRDO work is awesome , for some a good achievement, for some moderate and for others not upto mark.. So it depends from which side you are seeing really..

As such its true that DRDO did achieve awesome results in multiple projects but delivered major letdowns in many others..
Chiefly one must understand whats the best challenges to DRDO really not doing in projects which are at times very critical in nature

1. Money- The amount of money that India really spends in R&D is much less than perhaps other nations who have achieved far more self reliance domestically. We must not forget India real economic boom is more in last 20 years or so.. You cannot expect India of 1970s 1980s spending a big proportion in research projects.
Strangely, even now we have still not poured a descent amount as % of GDP in R&D. That is one area which is always a big issue

2. First Time Experience: Most of the projects DRDO is making is not reverse engineering but rather first time developing implying more of greenfield in nature. These kind of projects will have the 4 risks running from External, Industrial, Internal and Financial Risks at any point of time. Thus, what we are getting as results and failures are part of learning curve.

3. Time and Technology: A very important point indeed as some times the efficacy of achieving the success in DRDO projects is lost as the time and technology has advanced. Numerous times, projects midway needs course correction to be in line with whats really the latest or last but latest technology of present times. This does create a much longer gestation period. At times we are dependent on many technological things from abroad and that creates a bigger issue if there is a push to deny India technology due to any reason. Such stories messes up the entire project timelines in a big way,

4. Effective Management team for Projects and revolutionary leaders: Not all project teams are good at project mgmt skills . India did not clone APJ Kalam Sir or else guys like him at the helm of different projects could have resulted in much better results and success stories. At times, we also lack the best manpower available. Not bcz of the lack of talent pool but rather due to financial assistance to a employee in PSU vs Private sector, Over time india had corrected that with numerous Pay revisions but such fat corrections are more relevant in Banks and oil companies much less in places like DRDO or Def PSU's

5. Comparing different eggs and yardstick: As we see the success of Indian Missile program and Indian Space program we tend to feel that DRDO is let down in other programs. The same yardstick rule and comparing a missile success to an Supersonic aircraft success is wrong. Its not that both systems are not complex. But at different point of times due to various factors like few mentioned in point 1-4 can have critical impact. An example is that for missile the tech is more inhouse but in LCA, we got partial success for the heart of the bird - the Kaveri program. Again, point 1 - Money was not that much available to be pumped in every critical technology R&D.. Its just an example i am giving.

6. Too many projects: Success in few makes DRDO become too ambitious and take too many projects over time. This effectively divided the best brain and their respective manpower thereby running not parallel processing but rather an overloaded quest for parallel processing in projects. Result is based on priority certain projects gets a go ahead and certain are delayed. But we only see that project X got delayed for so many years not understanding why GOI did not say pls do what you are having atm and concentrate on those projects ONLY. Later you can expand your portfolio when some projects are executed and passed on to production.


Thus, my feeling is its a mixed bag for DRDO. With limited budget and shoe string R&D spending whatever it has achieved is quite remarkable. But for India to be self sufficient many critical program needs a urgency and a budget to match R&D spendings with developed nations or even China. The effective project management skills and identification of future leaders needs to be done more and needs to be groomed to find more Kalams who can change ethe fate of projects and lead Men/Women to efficient team performance.

Dont get colored by Tejas or Arjun or INSAS or Extreme cold weather gears. Developing all this in house requires time and money and factors as discussed above.

The only hope (and urgent need) is that DRDO dont slowdown more in coming days and gears up to be a robust organisation spearheading the nations requirement in a big way.

Well said. Problem is a vast majority of the folks have very little idea about the research process, be it in any field. Out here in the western world, research is a a culture that is developed, nurtured slowly. Shoestring budgets are a true fact. But even throwing money with an expectation of results in short time frames are just not possible.

I don't know anyone personally in DRDO. But in other Govt .organizations i am familiar with some very talented and hard working people(retired) and i am sure that's the case with DRDO as well. Besides i don't think DRDO is a bunch of folks sitting in an office. It's very similar to a conglomerate:Horizontally distributed across many offices/departments. As you said project and program managers are needed. Some people coming into DRDO might not always be research inclined(considering the state of our colleges). Or, they may be but not equipped. Continous education and research geared programs etc are the need of the hour for such folks.

I am hopeful that in the coming times, as more young people join the ranks, things will improve.

 

[Indian Patriot]

Getting private sector involved will be a good idea. However India will need to keep DRDO functional, it is not USA you see, with private sector will come a major problem of kick backs corruption and even security leaks/breaches. So DRDO needs to be the main organization controlling the matter of research and development and even overlook production matters.

It is the DRDO which is the major source of corruption and kick backs.

Under DRDO India has been unable to even build the most basic of tank and aircraft engines, India cannot make a good rifle, India cannot make a 155 mm arty gun or any modern weaponry. Letting DRDO control research would mean India would forever be under import dependence for security. You have no idea how corrupt and incompetent DRDO is.

I heard that the new multi caliber gun is awesome, also they have got LCA flying now and the trench 2 is rumored to be on par with euro fighters and other 4.5 generation planes.

That is a low blow.

He deserves that question in full view of everyone given the level of maturity he has illustrated in his posts so far.

Maturity? LOL!!!

A kid like you praising a failure like DRDO is talking about maturity?

Some people in earlier threads have even questioned his nationality...are those people supposed to be silenced too?

Are you an immigration officer?

Now you have gone full retarded. Does anyone from Lockheed martin or Boeing got killed fighting terrorists ?

You are now going to compare a dud like DRDO with studs like Lockheed Martin? Lockheed Martin's export order would be 10 times more than DRDO budget.

LM has made the world's best fighter jets. What has DRDO achieved?

Probably you haven't encountered the concerned OP before, otherwise you would have known that his only job in this forum is to keep on repeating the same thing over and over and over again completely ignoring all the facts presented to him, and this is probably the 1000th time he is doing this in his 9 months of participation here. People react to him in a certain manner for a reason, for him a constructive discussion is repeating the same set of sentences against every reply, these same discussions about DRDOs tanks, rifles, jets, missiles, etc. have already happened with him several times! If he was here to learn, then he would have learned already and moved on to different discussions or more informed and specific discussions on this topic, rather than opening another non-specific "DRDO is worthless" thread.

Typical bhakt reply. People who are uneducated and lack knowledge talk like boors because hat is he best that they can come up with. You being a poorly educated guy is entitled to your opinion to think of DRDO in the same league as Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Reality does not change according to your fantasies.

1. Where is DRDO made tank engine?

2. Where is DRDO made jet engine?

3. Where is DRDO made rifle? INSAS is a copy of AK-47 and it is sh1t.

4. How many countries are interested in DRDO weapons?

5. What is the volume of DRDO export orders?

6. If DRDO is so good then why is India so reliant on exports?

Buffoons and uneducated people have no facts to back their claims so when pushed to a corner they come up with lies like "army is corrupt"; "army takes kick-backs"; "DRDO very good" etc.

PROVE that DRDO is useful. Where is evidence of DRDO success?

A country like Pakistan which is far smaller than India has a biger and better weapons export record. China is on the verge of building stealth jets, anti-satellite weapons, and world's fastest aircraft. How does DRDO fare against Chinese NORINCO?

A defence RESEARCH and DEVELOPMENT organisation which cannot even design engines is supposedly the world's leading agency for troll bots.

A fine sentiment to have, it needs to be enforced more for people to pay attention. Mods only step in now when really bad language is being used...they cannot be wrist slapping the minor infractions.....or this guy (Indian patriot) would have been sorted a long time ago.

"macho words" on the internet mean a lot for newbies these days.

Talking about DRDO as a single homogeneous entity whose failures and successes can be equally weighted is beyond foolish.

Tell that to the families of soldiers lost in Kargil war.

India had to desperately knock from door to door of foreign countries beging for help and assistance because he weapons and equipment in service with Indian Army was way past expiry date and the organisation tasked with developing and building indigenous defence tech in India was busy having chai samosa.

No fire-finding radar in Kargil war meant Indian army artillery was blind in Kargil. Pakistani gunners tok out Indian artillery position as and when they wished. If not for air support Indian artillery would have been badly clobbered. Do I also need to mention that India was outgunned? Bofors was the only "modern" artillery gun in service and still is.

No night vision goggles, bullet proof jackets, modern rifles for Indian army jawans. While Pakistanis had AK-47, Indians fought with INSAS which holds 20 round magazines, is overweight, unreliable and frequently breaks and jams.

Kargil showed hat in every war India will always be dependent on foreign imports. Laser guided bombs, plus the Mirages that dropped those laser guided Bombs, Bofors guns, AK-47 used by some Indian troops are all imported FOREIGN MAAL. India did not turn to DRDO for help in kargil, it had to run to Israel and many other foreign countries.

Best rifle in India - Tavor assault rifle which is made in Israel.

Best tank in India - T-90 tank made in Russia (license produced in India)

Best artillery gun in India - Bofors artillery gun, originally Swedish construct and now under BAE which is British.

Best Rocket artillery in India - SMERCH which is Russian

Best fighter jet in Indian Air Force - Sukhoi-30 MKI which is Russian

The best weapons and weapon systems in use with India is foreign made or foreign origin. Which means in case of war with foreign countries India will always be dependent on foreign imports for survival. I don't care how you fans twist it but in simple terms it means DRDO is a FAILURE.

 

[Nilgiri]

"macho words" on the internet mean a lot for newbies these days.

 

[Indian Patriot]

Cute picture depicting your immaturity. If you had a proper comprehension of English language then you would have understood what was written. But never mind.

So do you have anything of value to contribute to this thread or are you another bhakt who has no knowledge on military matters but feels like it is their duty to troll?

 

[SRP]

It is the DRDO which is the major source of corruption and kick backs.

Under DRDO India has been unable to even build the most basic of tank and aircraft engines, India cannot make a good rifle, India cannot make a 155 mm arty gun or any modern weaponry. Letting DRDO control research would mean India would forever be under import dependence for security. You have no idea how corrupt and incompetent DRDO is.



That is a low blow.



Maturity? LOL!!!

A kid like you praising a failure like DRDO is talking about maturity?



Are you an immigration officer?



You are now going to compare a dud like DRDO with studs like Lockheed Martin? Lockheed Martin's export order would be 10 times more than DRDO budget.

LM has made the world's best fighter jets. What has DRDO achieved?



Typical bhakt reply. People who are uneducated and lack knowledge talk like boors because hat is he best that they can come up with. You being a poorly educated guy is entitled to your opinion to think of DRDO in the same league as Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Reality does not change according to your fantasies.

1. Where is DRDO made tank engine?

2. Where is DRDO made jet engine?

3. Where is DRDO made rifle? INSAS is a copy of AK-47 and it is sh1t.

4. How many countries are interested in DRDO weapons?

5. What is the volume of DRDO export orders?

6. If DRDO is so good then why is India so reliant on exports?

Buffoons and uneducated people have no facts to back their claims so when pushed to a corner they come up with lies like "army is corrupt"; "army takes kick-backs"; "DRDO very good" etc.

PROVE that DRDO is useful. Where is evidence of DRDO success?

A country like Pakistan which is far smaller than India has a biger and better weapons export record. China is on the verge of building stealth jets, anti-satellite weapons, and world's fastest aircraft. How does DRDO fare against Chinese NORINCO?

A defence RESEARCH and DEVELOPMENT organisation which cannot even design engines is supposedly the world's leading agency for troll bots.



"macho words" on the internet mean a lot for newbies these days.



Tell that to the families of soldiers lost in Kargil war.

India had to desperately knock from door to door of foreign countries beging for help and assistance because he weapons and equipment in service with Indian Army was way past expiry date and the organisation tasked with developing and building indigenous defence tech in India was busy having chai samosa.

No fire-finding radar in Kargil war meant Indian army artillery was blind in Kargil. Pakistani gunners tok out Indian artillery position as and when they wished. If not for air support Indian artillery would have been badly clobbered. Do I also need to mention that India was outgunned? Bofors was the only "modern" artillery gun in service and still is.

No night vision goggles, bullet proof jackets, modern rifles for Indian army jawans. While Pakistanis had AK-47, Indians fought with INSAS which holds 20 round magazines, is overweight, unreliable and frequently breaks and jams.

Kargil showed hat in every war India will always be dependent on foreign imports. Laser guided bombs, plus the Mirages that dropped those laser guided Bombs, Bofors guns, AK-47 used by some Indian troops are all imported FOREIGN MAAL. India did not turn to DRDO for help in kargil, it had to run to Israel and many other foreign countries.

Best rifle in India - Tavor assault rifle which is made in Israel.

Best tank in India - T-90 tank made in Russia (license produced in India)

Best artillery gun in India - Bofors artillery gun, originally Swedish construct and now under BAE which is British.

Best Rocket artillery in India - SMERCH which is Russian

Best fighter jet in Indian Air Force - Sukhoi-30 MKI which is Russian

The best weapons and weapon systems in use with India is foreign made or foreign origin. Which means in case of war with foreign countries India will always be dependent on foreign imports for survival. I don't care how you fans twist it but in simple terms it means DRDO is a FAILURE.

Arguing with retards is hazardous to health. So keep it up

 

[Indian Patriot]

Arguing with retards is hazardous to health. So keep it up

Retards when they run out of facts hide their shame like you do.

You have failed to contribute anything of value here, so why don't you simply walk out of here instead of being the object of pity?

 

[SRP]

Retards when they run out of facts hide their shame like you do.

You have failed to contribute anything of value here, so why don't you simply walk out of here instead of being the object of pity?

 

[Indian Patriot]

I understand, that is the most intellectual response you can come up with. Now run away before you start crying louder.

 

[SRP]

I understand, that is the most intellectual response you can come up with. Now run away before you start crying louder.

haha carry on till you explode. put you on my ignore list. Enjoy!

 

[Indian Patriot]

haha carry on till you explode. put you on my ignore list. Enjoy!

Yes, go go home and cry. You cannot contribute anything valuable anyway.

 

[dray]

It is the DRDO which is the major source of corruption and kick backs.

Under DRDO India has been unable to even build the most basic of tank and aircraft engines, India cannot make a good rifle, India cannot make a 155 mm arty gun or any modern weaponry. Letting DRDO control research would mean India would forever be under import dependence for security. You have no idea how corrupt and incompetent DRDO is.



That is a low blow.



Maturity? LOL!!!

A kid like you praising a failure like DRDO is talking about maturity?



Are you an immigration officer?



You are now going to compare a dud like DRDO with studs like Lockheed Martin? Lockheed Martin's export order would be 10 times more than DRDO budget.

LM has made the world's best fighter jets. What has DRDO achieved?



Typical bhakt reply. People who are uneducated and lack knowledge talk like boors because hat is he best that they can come up with. You being a poorly educated guy is entitled to your opinion to think of DRDO in the same league as Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Reality does not change according to your fantasies.

1. Where is DRDO made tank engine?

2. Where is DRDO made jet engine?

3. Where is DRDO made rifle? INSAS is a copy of AK-47 and it is sh1t.

4. How many countries are interested in DRDO weapons?

5. What is the volume of DRDO export orders?

6. If DRDO is so good then why is India so reliant on exports?

Buffoons and uneducated people have no facts to back their claims so when pushed to a corner they come up with lies like "army is corrupt"; "army takes kick-backs"; "DRDO very good" etc.

PROVE that DRDO is useful. Where is evidence of DRDO success?

A country like Pakistan which is far smaller than India has a biger and better weapons export record. China is on the verge of building stealth jets, anti-satellite weapons, and world's fastest aircraft. How does DRDO fare against Chinese NORINCO?

A defence RESEARCH and DEVELOPMENT organisation which cannot even design engines is supposedly the world's leading agency for troll bots.



"macho words" on the internet mean a lot for newbies these days.



Tell that to the families of soldiers lost in Kargil war.

India had to desperately knock from door to door of foreign countries beging for help and assistance because he weapons and equipment in service with Indian Army was way past expiry date and the organisation tasked with developing and building indigenous defence tech in India was busy having chai samosa.

No fire-finding radar in Kargil war meant Indian army artillery was blind in Kargil. Pakistani gunners tok out Indian artillery position as and when they wished. If not for air support Indian artillery would have been badly clobbered. Do I also need to mention that India was outgunned? Bofors was the only "modern" artillery gun in service and still is.

No night vision goggles, bullet proof jackets, modern rifles for Indian army jawans. While Pakistanis had AK-47, Indians fought with INSAS which holds 20 round magazines, is overweight, unreliable and frequently breaks and jams.

Kargil showed hat in every war India will always be dependent on foreign imports. Laser guided bombs, plus the Mirages that dropped those laser guided Bombs, Bofors guns, AK-47 used by some Indian troops are all imported FOREIGN MAAL. India did not turn to DRDO for help in kargil, it had to run to Israel and many other foreign countries.

Best rifle in India - Tavor assault rifle which is made in Israel.

Best tank in India - T-90 tank made in Russia (license produced in India)

Best artillery gun in India - Bofors artillery gun, originally Swedish construct and now under BAE which is British.

Best Rocket artillery in India - SMERCH which is Russian

Best fighter jet in Indian Air Force - Sukhoi-30 MKI which is Russian

The best weapons and weapon systems in use with India is foreign made or foreign origin. Which means in case of war with foreign countries India will always be dependent on foreign imports for survival. I don't care how you fans twist it but in simple terms it means DRDO is a FAILURE.

@Arsalan Istead of giving him a befitting reply I am tagging you to his post, his filthy language directed towards me has been marked in red.

 

[Arsalan]

@Arsalan Istead of giving him a befitting reply I am tagging you to his post, his filthy language directed towards me has been marked in red.

Very sensible of you, however i do recommend that you read the entire post. He instead of doubting someones maturity just for the sake of it have provided some valid points, there are some genuine questions that need to be answered. Unlike ranting, the post backs up the claims with facts and asks authentic questions.
The words you marked in red do not nominate you but still i do feel that this is not a veivilized way to debate. So @Indian Patriot , i will request you to remove that and also tune down a bit. We can all debate in a cool and calm manner and this way there will be a lot more good to get. Also if you have some actual points/facts to back up your claims, as the previous posts have showed that you do, there is not need for aggressive words. This holds true for everyone.

As for the points you have raised against DRDO, i do admit i don't have a reply to them all. However i will like to mention that building everything at home is not necessary. I mean, there is not need to reinvent the wheel. If they can get some goods at better prices and better quality, then buying them directly is not a big deal. I understand that they have not been able to produce an engine for LCA but that is work is progress right? i do think they will get it right in some time. Same goes for tank design. I still doubt your claims about INSAS as it was reportedly a great gun. The issues were resolved in the modifications and the new version are really good. In fact they were competing with the best guns of the world for Indian army's future rifle. The MCWS or Excalibur something!

 

[dray]

Very sensible of you, however i do recommend that you read the entire post. He instead of doubting someones maturity just for the sake of it have provided some valid points, there are some genuine questions that need to be answered. Unlike ranting, the post backs up the claims with facts and asks authentic questions.
The words you marked in red do not nominate you but still i do feel that this is not a veivilized way to debate. So @Indian Patriot , i will request you to remove that and also tune down a bit. We can all debate in a cool and calm manner and this way there will be a lot more good to get. Also if you have some actual points/facts to back up your claims, as the previous posts have showed that you do, there is not need for aggressive words. This holds true for everyone.

As for the points you have raised against DRDO, i do admit i don't have a reply to them all. However i will like to mention that building everything at home is not necessary. I mean, there is not need to reinvent the wheel. If they can get some goods at better prices and better quality, then buying them directly is not a big deal. I understand that they have not been able to produce an engine for LCA but that is work is progress right? i do think they will get it right in some time. Same goes for tank design. I still doubt your claims about INSAS as it was reportedly a great gun. The issues were resolved in the modifications and the new version are really good. In fact they were competing with the best guns of the world for Indian army's future rifle. The MCWS or Excalibur something!

Thanks, so I understood that his language, if backed with some so called 'valid points', is within the permissible limits and doesn't call for negative ratings or any further action. Although much milder comments by others did. I understood it and decided that going forward I would rather defend myself on my own irrespective of the consequences. However, I hope I would find similar support from you when I use similar language backed by some valid points of similar quality. I also hope that you will pause and think if you are backing the right kind of person here.
And btw, he made those comments directly quoting me.

 

[ravindra1455]

Everybody is entitled to have opinions. For some DRDO work is awesome , for some a good achievement, for some moderate and for others not upto mark.. So it depends from which side you are seeing really..

As such its true that DRDO did achieve awesome results in multiple projects but delivered major letdowns in many others..
Chiefly one must understand whats the best challenges to DRDO really not doing in projects which are at times very critical in nature

1. Money- The amount of money that India really spends in R&D is much less than perhaps other nations who have achieved far more self reliance domestically. We must not forget India real economic boom is more in last 20 years or so.. You cannot expect India of 1970s 1980s spending a big proportion in research projects.
Strangely, even now we have still not poured a descent amount as % of GDP in R&D. That is one area which is always a big issue

2. First Time Experience: Most of the projects DRDO is making is not reverse engineering but rather first time developing implying more of greenfield in nature. These kind of projects will have the 4 risks running from External, Industrial, Internal and Financial Risks at any point of time. Thus, what we are getting as results and failures are part of learning curve.

3. Time and Technology: A very important point indeed as some times the efficacy of achieving the success in DRDO projects is lost as the time and technology has advanced. Numerous times, projects midway needs course correction to be in line with whats really the latest or last but latest technology of present times. This does create a much longer gestation period. At times we are dependent on many technological things from abroad and that creates a bigger issue if there is a push to deny India technology due to any reason. Such stories messes up the entire project timelines in a big way,

4. Effective Management team for Projects and revolutionary leaders: Not all project teams are good at project mgmt skills . India did not clone APJ Kalam Sir or else guys like him at the helm of different projects could have resulted in much better results and success stories. At times, we also lack the best manpower available. Not bcz of the lack of talent pool but rather due to financial assistance to a employee in PSU vs Private sector, Over time india had corrected that with numerous Pay revisions but such fat corrections are more relevant in Banks and oil companies much less in places like DRDO or Def PSU's

5. Comparing different eggs and yardstick: As we see the success of Indian Missile program and Indian Space program we tend to feel that DRDO is let down in other programs. The same yardstick rule and comparing a missile success to an Supersonic aircraft success is wrong. Its not that both systems are not complex. But at different point of times due to various factors like few mentioned in point 1-4 can have critical impact. An example is that for missile the tech is more inhouse but in LCA, we got partial success for the heart of the bird - the Kaveri program. Again, point 1 - Money was not that much available to be pumped in every critical technology R&D.. Its just an example i am giving.

6. Too many projects: Success in few makes DRDO become too ambitious and take too many projects over time. This effectively divided the best brain and their respective manpower thereby running not parallel processing but rather an overloaded quest for parallel processing in projects. Result is based on priority certain projects gets a go ahead and certain are delayed. But we only see that project X got delayed for so many years not understanding why GOI did not say pls do what you are having atm and concentrate on those projects ONLY. Later you can expand your portfolio when some projects are executed and passed on to production.


Thus, my feeling is its a mixed bag for DRDO. With limited budget and shoe string R&D spending whatever it has achieved is quite remarkable. But for India to be self sufficient many critical program needs a urgency and a budget to match R&D spendings with developed nations or even China. The effective project management skills and identification of future leaders needs to be done more and needs to be groomed to find more Kalams who can change ethe fate of projects and lead Men/Women to efficient team performance.

Dont get colored by Tejas or Arjun or INSAS or Extreme cold weather gears. Developing all this in house requires time and money and factors as discussed above.

The only hope (and urgent need) is that DRDO dont slowdown more in coming days and gears up to be a robust organisation spearheading the nations requirement in a big way.

Drdo has been developed so many product. Now i think drdo must not have so much burden. so i guess in future it will concntrate on aircrft ,submarine and other project much better.