Is Reverse engineering a Good Option for India?

[CONNAN]

Is Reverse engineering a Good Option for India?

BY : Vinayak shetti

Note: Vinayak shetti is a free lance journalist and also admin of www.lca-tejas.org

Reverse engineering is a Big No-No in Indian Defence Sector, Country’s major weapons producer like DRDO, Hal and other various labs always wanted in house research and development of indigenous weapons .Indian weapons development have seen continuous delays, mainly due to this following factors . Lack of funds, poor Ground facilities, lack of expertise, over ambitious Projects by our scientist which has resulted in almost all Weapons development going over budget, facing delays or project been scrapped . Due to which imported weapons had to be purchased to fill in the gaps left by delays in production of this Indigenous Weapons systems.

Reverse engineering of Military application really started after World War –II, When US and Soviet Union used German V-2 Rocket designs to build up their Missile and Space rockets. Even at the height of World War II Soviet s copied American B-29 strategic bomber which had landed after Bombing Mission over Japan and made perfect copy and named it Tu-4. Cold war only intensified the Reverse engineering in Military Weapons. Soviet Defence Forces was the major Benefiter of Reverse engineering; they perfectly copied Roll Royce Engine for Mig-15 and also Reverse-engineered copy of the AIM-9 Sidewinder, made possible after a Taiwanese AIM-9B hit a Chinese MiG-17 without exploding, later Soviet scientists would describe as a university course in missile development.

Lately China has been Reverse engineering every thing that they have purchased from Russia or Europe. Russian officials have been irritated for years by what they view as China’s illegal reverse engineering of combat systems From Sukhoi-27 to Engines and many subsystems. China still manufactures many of the Soviet Designed Fighter aircrafts and Bombers till date .But China’s illegally Reverse engineering also means that Many European Nations and even Russia refuse to give china latest or advance weapons’ to them .Russia even did not considered China for their Pak-FA 5th generation fighter aircraft project, Sukhoi Su 27/30 MKK which china have in it armed forces and not top notch and come with under powered Radar and no latest Avionics Package.

Even China’s Claims of bettering over Russian Weapons is just more of claims then actually acceptable by other countries which uses Chinese weaponry, even Major Chinese Weapons importer like Pakistan are opting for European Avionics over Chinese For their Joint Project of 4 Gen Fighter like JF-17 and may again likely go for European Weapons again for J-10B fighter aircraft which they have decided to purchase from China. Russia trust in India can be seen by recent negotiations for Russia to export two Akula II SSNs to India. These advanced nuclear submarines never have been available to China. India has been procuring and gaining production licenses from Russia and several Western nations for decades, and it never has copied any systems illegally. Level of confidence in dealing with India is very high among Arms manufactures; this has seen many Advance levels of Technology transfers or Joint development of Futuristic Weapons, developments which various labs in India are engaged in.

 

[Schindler]

Answer to the headline is big 'NO'. India has far best military technology (most will start getting delivered by 2011) than any asian country. Look at china. They master of reverse engineering. Now they cant get what they want. All they can do is make cheap weapons which is nowhere near western technology. The day india reverse engineer india will loose the edge. Building something is tough (but worth it) than stealing something. India wants best technology. DRDO gave india bad name but look at them now. After they got warning from PM they started doing work the way india dreamed. Arjun tank got alot bashing. NOW ITS READY. LCA got alot bashing. NOW IT WILL JOIN AIRFORCE SOON. Alot more new highly accurate weapons getting ready now. So why india should reverse engineer and spoil our name. In a war we want BEST military weapons and not cheap, unaccurate, low quality 3rd class weapons.

 

[genetic_nomad]

give the Chinese their due, reverse engineering isn't child's play. American and Soviet scientists used German tech know-how to leapfrog their own capabilities, and china seems to be following the same path. I personally see nothing wrong in what china is doing. although they began by using Russian designs (similar to u.s. and soviets) they are now developing their own systems. Discounting your enemy's capabilities is a dangerous thing to do.

edit: India has mostly bought systems from other nations but we are now (slowly) moving to local and joint development, I'm not saying that is wrong, it is just a different development model.

 

[oct605032048]

India should stick to her own method.

Take the great job of arjun for example, in the past 30 years (maybe more years in the future) no types of Chinese tanks can compete with this design in durability.

 

[qwerrty]

Indian weapons are sophisticated, advanced, cutting edge, indigenous, second to none..no one can beat in talking..

 

[RAHUL INDIAN]

India should stick to her own method.

Take the great job of arjun for example, in the past 30 years (maybe more years in the future) no types of Chinese tanks can compete with this design in durability.

lok whpo is talking who cant even make a original pencil...that design is also copied...

 

[harrymohan]

give the Chinese their due, reverse engineering isn't child's play. American and Soviet scientists used German tech know-how to leapfrog their own capabilities, and china seems to be following the same path. I personally see nothing wrong in what china is doing. although they began by using Russian designs (similar to u.s. and soviets) they are now developing their own systems. Discounting your enemy's capabilities is a dangerous thing to do.

edit: India has mostly bought systems from other nations but we are now (slowly) moving to local and joint development, I'm not saying that is wrong, it is just a different development model.

You seriously don't know what patents, copy rights and similar stuff are? If you violate them you have stand up in International Court, China is a communist and rouge country they don't adhere to International laws. They keep on pirating whatever they like...in short term is its good but in long term there are severe ramifications some you have already seen other countries are not even ready to give technology to countries which are closer to China!

 

[genetic_nomad]

You seriously don't know what patents, copy rights and similar stuff are? If you violate them you have stand up in International Court, China is a communist and rouge country they don't adhere to International laws. They keep on pirating whatever they like...in short term is its good but in long term there are severe ramifications some you have already seen other countries are not even ready to give technology to countries which are closer to China!

Harry I understand patents and copyrights, the point I'm trying to make is that the path china took is their own decision and they very well understand the pros and cons to it. India's policies are obviously different and come with a different set of pros/cons.
I don't see how we get to judge them wrong...

 

[Shaheen 2]

.........................................

 

[genetic_nomad]

How is India going to reverse engineer anything?

If they had the intellectual capacity, materials, funds and precision to do so they would have already did it. But since they don't they won't be able to.

engineering talent exists in every country with a reasonable education system, it is the govt policies that dictate which way to go. just as an example, nothing could stop pakistan developing nukes once the leadership decided on it. In my humble opinion the option of reverse engineering is always available but it would not be beneficial for us in our present state.

 

[harrymohan]

How is India going to reverse engineer anything?

If they had the intellectual capacity, materials, funds and precision to do so they would have already did it. But since they don't they won't be able to.

Go and again read what I have written, a person installing pirated Windows is fine, Govt cannot install pirated windows or reverse engineer and make Hindustan Windows. Even making a committee to discuss reverse engineering is a unlawful thing and India being an open society unlike China has to adhere to International Laws.

If India starts doing reverse engineering, all companies and jobs will vanish from India. Goto China and see Chinese companies computers they are full of pirated software I am not fudging I read on CNN and other websites, In India if a company installs a pirated software it would be raided.

Dude 30% of Microsoft workforce in US is Indian, Silicon Valley is run by Indians.. Don't talk about intellectual abilities of Indians....your best bet is talk about toilets and poverty to take down on Indians! or how ugly they look.

 

[kashith]

How is India going to reverse engineer anything?

If they had the intellectual capacity, materials, funds and precision to do so they would have already did it. But since they don't they won't be able to.

Right, the only nation which has intellectual capacity is pakistan?Dont be so blinded by hate that you stop seeing others' achievement,for the record how many nobel laureates have pakistan produced?Just one Professor Abdus Salam,and he too is an ahmadi so a few of you might even think of him as lesser pakistani.India has produced 9 nobel laureates of which if we remove mother Teresa and Ronald Ross we get 7.even china has only 6........i dont think i should even talk about funds ......you will say i trolled bringing in IMF loans...

 

[Brotherhood]

IAF vice-chief prefers reverse engg to build defence systems
Bibhu Ranjan Mishra / Bangalore April 11, 2010, 0:56 IST

IAF Vice-Chief Air Marshal Pranab Kumar Barbora today suggested India should go the Chinese way by gathering technical data to produce defence equipment through reverse engineering.

Addressing a gathering at a convention of The Frontiers of Aeronautical Technologies and 61st AGM in Bangalore, Air Marshal Babora said, “Do reverse engineering. Don't be scared. Our neighbours are already doing it. If someone does not give you, and you want it, do reverse engineering.”

His comments, however, might not go down well with Americans and Europeans, who are finding it hard to protect their intellectual property rights.

Reverse engineering is a process of analysing a technology to ascertain how it was designed. The knowledge is then used to build the equipment or system or make improvements to it without using any physical part of the original.

Critical of the defence industry’s inability to be self-reliant in producing indegenous systems for defence and aerospace requirements, Air Marshal Barbora said, “We have got the best brains, but it has to be focussed to get the product.”

Prodding the defence establishment and manufacturers to go for joint ventures and get the technological knowhow of systems, Barbora said: “No country has produced fighter aircraft on its own. It has been a joint effort of like-minded countries.”

Barbora said India was technologically less literate than Russia and China because it had no access to middle-level technologies following World War-II. “Now, a lot of private players have emerged in India, but they are playing rough because of rules and regulations.”

He also asked the private sector to focus on core competence instead of trying to manufacture the entire aircraft from scratch. “We must not dilute our core competency,” he said.

Citing China’s efforts, the Air Marshal said while the country was already producing entire airbuses, Indian companies were proud and satisfied to produce a few small parts like doors and undercarriages.

“When China can manufacture an Airbus, why not India? Though we are a major economic power to reckon with in South Asia, we have not leveraged it to bargain for greater access to aerospace technologies or attracting overseas investment through joint ventures to develop our state-run or private industry,” he rued.

The Indian Air Force is buying equipment worth billions of dollars every year. However, the benefits of these are not reaching the private sector in the absence of a “national policy framework or national technology plan”.

“A sound national policy will enable stakeholders to work within a timeframe and deliver the equipment required for the armed forces, especially the IAF,” Barbora said.

IAF vice-chief prefers reverse engg to build defence systems

 

[genetic_nomad]

^^^thanks for the post bud. but as we mentioned before, it is the government that decides on the procurement policies not the armed forces.

 

[Merilion]

Is Reverse engineering a Good Option for India?

BY : Vinayak shetti

Note: Vinayak shetti is a free lance journalist and also admin of www.lca-tejas.org

Russia even did not considered China for their Pak-FA 5th generation fighter aircraft project

the version i heard is russia invited china to join the Pak-FA program even before india but china declined.
china's own 5th generation fighter program is progressing well btw.

@ the topic, without a good manufacturing base, reverse engineering is not an option for india yet.