It has long been a general misconception in Pakistan that ‘TOT’ implies that we start making sophisticated machines/ships/aircraft in Pakistan from scratch. Reality is quite different.
However it must be made clear that no single company manufactures all components by itself. Design & manufacture of each component is specialised to such an extent that aircrafts, submarines, warships manufacturing companies sub-contract a lot of parts to other companies. Quite often the resources required to build a new machine such as an aircraft are so great that different countries join together.
Let us take the example of of Al Kahild MBT. Despite the joint efforts of HIT Taxila & NORINCO ; the power train is 6TD-2 Diesel engine manufactured in Ukraine’s Malyshev Factory and transmission train is French SESM ESM 500 -5 speed transmission both supplied by KMBD of Ukraine.
Pananvia Tornado was a joint venture between UK, Germany & Italy. Front fuselage & tail assembly designed and manufacture by British BAE Systems, Central fuselage by EADS of Germany, Wings by Aeritalia of Italy. Engines co developed by Rolls Royce (UK), Fiat (Italy) & MTU (Germany).
Spanish F-100 Frigate has US Aegis Combat Control System, its propulsion system is CODOG with 2 General Electric LM2500 gas turbines & 2 Caterpillar 3600 Diesel engines; both US firms. It carries US built Radar, US designed 5 inch gun, Sea Sparrow AA missile, Harpoon anti-Ship missile and Sikorsky SH-60 Helicopter.
Bitter truth is that except for very few countries such as the US, Russia & may be China & France; even European nations do not have financial resources and technological expertise to build all the sophisticated systems required in a modern battle machine. Thus to admit that we only “assemble” in other words put together different pieces produced elsewhere to construct an aircraft, submarine or a vessel does not mean we are less of a Pakistani. As matter of fact one is being more of a Pakistani to admit what we can or cannot do.
Nevertheless if some of my countrymen refuse to wake up from dream land, they have every right to do so. This post is not meant to insult or demean anyone; just a reminder that mere wishing cannot change the reality.