By S N Misra
The story of indigenous defence technology proving to be a game changer is often inadequately reported. On May 7, the indigenously developed medium-range Akash surface-to-air missile (SAM) shot down a JF-17 Thunder of Pakistan, jointly developed with China, in the Kashmir region.
This medium-range SAM, with a 25-45 km intercept range, supersonic speed, and active terminal guidance, can engage up to four targets simultaneously with 24 ready-to-fire missiles. It has successfully neutralised Pakistan military’s attempts at large-scale drone and missile attacks on multiple military installations across northern and western India during the night of May 7-8, and the air defence (AD) system at Lahore was neutralised. The S-400 defence system, popularly called Sudarshan Chakra, imported from Russia, is also becoming a game changer in pulverising the Pakistani air attacks and destroying the AD systems in different air bases at Rawalpindi and Lahore, as reported. This has once again demonstrated strategic support that Russia invariably offers as part of our long-term partnership in terms of technology transfer and supply of strategic assets.
Indo-Soviet strategic partnership
Russia has been the most stable and potent strategic partner after the 1962 Chinese debacle, with a slew of technology transfer partnerships, starting with MiG-21 aircraft in 1963. Be it tanks (T72 & T90), frigates, missiles or SU-30 aircraft, almost 85 percent of the defence inventory is sourced from Russia. In the area of cruise missiles, APJ Abdul Kalam crafted a joint venture with Russia, which has since segued into the production of supersonic cruise missiles in the range of 290-800 km, which can be launched from land, ship, air, and submarine. Undeterred by the US’ unhappiness, India signed a deal for five squadrons (16 vehicles each) of S-400 for $5 billion, of which three squadrons have since been received. One of the squadrons is deployed in Srinagar and Pathankot and one in Rajasthan and Gujarat. With a range of up to 400 km, speed to engage targets moving at a speed up to 14 mach, it can engage targets at altitudes up to 56 km. It can engage 80 targets simultaneously and is considered superior to the US’ Patriot system. China purchased them in 2014 and these are proving to be most potent in deflating drone and missile attacks from Pakistan
The Akash story
The ambitious Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) programme was overseen by the proud son of India, Kalam, a confessed votary of self-reliance in niche defence technology, in 1982-83. It has witnessed remarkable success in the successful indigenisation and production of surface-to-surface missiles in the range of 150-300 km for all three services.
The long-range Agni surface-to-surface missiles have also been a success. However, the medium-range surface-to-air Missile Akash and short-range SAM, Trishul, have been problem children of the overarching programme. The problems have been mostly in the guidance systems where collaboration was sought with France. Though the programme started in 1983, the development trials were undertaken in 1997, and it could intercept a live target in 2005.
There has been no looking back on this programme since then, with ARDE developing the nuclear warhead, HEMRL the propellant, Tata Power and L&T building the launcher and BEL producing it. It is a successful synergy between developing agencies and public-private partnerships. It is 96 percent indigenous and very potent against UAVs and aircraft, as demonstrated a few days back at Kashmir.
Countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Egypt and Brazil have evinced an interest in buying Akash missiles, whose upgraded version (Akash-NG) is in the pipeline. Though long delayed in its fruition, Akash has demonstrated that we need to be patient with our self-reliance initiatives in critical technologies, where technology denial is possible.
The quest and challenge of indigenisation
In matters of acquisition of major systems, weapons and platforms, India has three choices, viz., to import (Buy), buy technology and produce at home (Buy and Make) or produce within India out of indigenous technology (Make). While Mirage aircraft and Rafael now are clear examples of Buys, SU-30 aircraft or T72/90 tanks are examples of Buy and Make. In the Make category, we can put LCA or PINAKA as good examples. The Kalam Committee in 1993 had calculated in 1993 that India’s Self-Reliance Index (SRI) in critical defence technology was as low as 30 percent. The Committee had set a roadmap to achieve 70 percent SRI by 2005 through design and development collaboration with reputed global design houses, joint ventures with OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), faster absorption of technology and setting up facilities. It identified certain subsystems like propulsion (engines), weapons (air-to-air missiles), and sensors as bugbears of indigenous capability. Technologies like stealth, AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radars, and focal plane array require collaboration.
It was thanks to his vision that we have been able to develop Akash missiles (40-km range) and Medium Range Surface to Air (MR-SAM) missiles (70-km range) in collaboration with Israel. Interestingly, one notices that even countries like the US are now willing to transfer key technologies for building a stealth aircraft. We need to scale up our design capability in niche technology through design, development and production collaboration.
The challenges
India has the dubious reputation of being the second-largest importer of arms as per the latest SIPRI report. After the 1962 debacle, the Subramaniam Committee in 1964 had recommended that bereft of indigenous capability and scant depth in Indian engineering colleges, there is a need to collaborate with global engine houses like GE, SNECMA to produce gas turbine engines for fighter aircraft. Disregarding such advice, India went with the indigenous Kaveri engine programme for the LCA fighter aircraft. No wonder, KAVERI is a dismal failure and we are stuck with GE-404 engine from the US to power the successful LCA indigenous aircraft. Our SRI in defence technology has hardly moved beyond 35 percent despite pious platitudes and sanctimonious claims of ‘Make in India’.
Many ill-informed critics point to our inadequate investment in DRDO and ramping up our expenditure from 6 percent of defence expenditure to 10 percent. But as Kalam had intervened before a Defence Standing Committee, the problem is not one of allocation but our deficiency in design capability and lack of depth in advanced fields of defence subsystems in India’s engineering colleges including the IITs. IIT Kharagpur is the exception which has developed niche design capability in naval platforms and systems. For all the critical subsystems identified like stealth, passive seekers, UAVs, FPAs, AESA radars and laser-guided munitions and air-to-air missiles, RLGs and GPS, the DRDO track record is rather unenviable. The private sector, except for L&T, have a poor record in design capability just as defence PSUs like the HAL.
The way forward
While the Kelkar Committee strongly pitched for PPP in the defence sector and to provide level playing field to the players, the private sector still remains marginal players. While the Modi government is giving a fillip to the MSMEs, the big defence PSUs still consider big private players like Tata and L&T as competitors and not collaborators. The wistful recommendation of Dhirendra Singh regarding strategic partnership between big fishes in the public and private sector remain a pipedream. This is further roiled by India’s scant attention to work on JVs with OEMs by making private sector partners, and moving away from technology transfer to outright buys, as happened in the case of Rafale aircraft, where we missed a golden opportunity to have technology in niche areas like AESA radars, aircraft engines and seekers. The captive defence PSUs have become more of integrators rather than value adders by indigenising at the component level. On the contrary, countries like China, which have been availing of technology transfer for aircraft like SU-27 have successfully added value and even exported them to other countries like Malaysia.
Kalam used to say: “An ignited mind is more powerful than anything on the earth, over the earth, and under the earth.”
Asked to elaborate, he said he would like surface-to-surface and SAM to be the most potent in the world, Light Combat Aircraft to replace dependence on imports substantially, and design and develop an indigenous submarine of world class. He was convinced that self-reliance in strategic systems is the key to being respected as a global power.
Thankfully, his vision of a SAM in the form of Akash and Prithvi surface-to-surface missiles has enabled India to repulse a rogue neighbour like Pakistan. We need to look for design collaboration with reputed design houses and have JVs with OEMs to build our military industry complex, instead of subsidising foreign arms manufacturers to fight India’s war. The rhetoric of ‘Make in India’ should be realised in practice. War can be a great lesson in the importance of self-reliance in strategic systems as China has demonstrated to the word.
The Akash air defence missile system is a medium range, surface-to-air missile system which provides area air defence against multifarious air threats to mobile, semi mobile and static vulnerable forces and areas. The system has cutting edge features with cross country mobility.
The real-time multi-sensor data processing and threat evaluation enables simultaneous engagement of multiple targets from any direction. The entire system is flexible, up-scalable and can be operated in group and autonomous modes. It employs command guidance and relies on phased array guidance radar to guide the missile till intercept.
Features
- Large kill zone
- Medium range, up to 18 km altitude coverage of the missile
- High level of automation enables effective operation
- 80 km coverage by multi-function radar and 120 km coverage by central acquisition radar
- Tracking of multiple targets in TWS mode by multi-function radar
- 3D measurements of range, azimuth and elevation by central acquisition radar
- Simultaneous engagement of many targets with multiple missiles
- High jamming immunity in severe ECM environment
- High missile manoeuvreability
- Automatic checkout, launch and abort facility for missile
- Open architecture of system enables wider operational network connectivity to any other digital networks
- Point to multi-point communication
- Compact technical support equipment and an integrated logistics systems are provided
— The writer is former Director (Finance) at DRDO.
