It may be better for India to focus on reverse engineering. After all, imitation is the first step of learning.
1. Reverse engineering needs regressive repetitive work. You need
10x team size to rev engg any product. India doesnt have money to operate 1 team
2. You also need project specific industries which needs to manufacture the components without any prior experience
India have rarely succeeded in Reverse engineering Russian systems.
1. India planned to rev engg SA-2 SAM in 70's was partial success
2. Indian aim to make ICBM in 70's with 3 liquid stage engine was partial success.
Without expertise in control system, Indian ICBM program behaved more like a unguided Ballistic Missile
Project Devil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Project Valiant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Project Valiant was one of two early
liquid-fueled missile projects developed by
India, along with
Project Devil in the 1970s. The goal of Project Valiant was to produce an
intercontinental ballistic missile. Although discontinued in 1974 without achieving success, Project Valiant, like Project Devil, led to the later development of the
Prithvi missile in the 1980s.
Both projects were overseen by the
Defense Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) of India, which had begun in 1958 with a specialization in anti-tank missiles but expanded in subsequent years.
[1] Project Valiant was intended to be an intercontinental ballistic missile utilizing 30-ton engines to achieve a range variously reported as
1,500 kilometres (930 mi) and 8,000 kilometres (5,000 mi).
[2][3][4] The secret project was initially funded with a few hundred thousand rupees after the presentation of a feasibility report in April 1971, but in June 1972, DRDL received 160 million rupees to fund both projects. The money came with a veil of secrecy; the
Union Cabinet had publicly declined the funding request, but
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had granted it secretly through her discretionary powers.
[5] In turn, DRDL took pains to disguise the purpose of the funds so that their real work would not be immediately apparent. That year, the DRDL began to expand rapidly, increasing its workforce from 400 to 2,500 people over a two-year period in an effort to meet staffing needs of both the Valiant and Devil projects.
[5]
The Valiant missile was anticipated to weigh 85 tons and to use three liquid fuel stages.
[4] In 1972, the lab began to work on designing and developing various components for the Valiant,
[5] and the project reached the phase of ground testing on 10 May 1974.
[4] However, internal disputes disrupted the DRDL, as the leader of the Valiant project believed the DRDL's director was disproportionately invested in Project Devil, and external interest in both programs waned.
[5] That same year, the Union Cabinet asked the director of the DRDL to evaluate whether civilian uses could be found at the
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for Valiant's liquid-fuel engine.
[5] The ISRO declined, and since the Valiant project was not progressing satisfactorily and it was not well-managed, the project was terminated.
[4][5]
