India Needs a Serious Upgrade for its R&D (and Here's Why)

Right now, India is seriously lagging behind in how much it spends on developing its own military technology. Our current military technology research and development (R&D) expenditure, hovering around 0.65% of GDP, is nowhere near major powers like China (2.14%), the US (2.83%), or even South Korea (4.8%). This puts us in a tough spot.

Here's the breakdown:

• Too reliant on others: When you don't make your own stuff, you have to buy most of your weapons from other countries. That can lead to problems in times of conflict or if a supplier decides to cut us off for political reasons.
• Falling behind: Military technology changes rapidly. We risk being stuck with outdated equipment while our rivals have the latest and greatest.
• Need for custom solutions: India has unique defense needs. Weapons and tech designed specifically for us will be much more effective than generic ones.
• Economic opportunity: Investing in R&D means creating tons of jobs for skilled professionals and boosting the entire defense industry. We could even become an exporter of advanced military technology.

India wants to be a major global power, right? Well, that's not going to happen if we're not keeping up with the technological arms race. By significantly increasing our research and development spending, we can close this gap, protect ourselves better, and make India a major player on the world stage.

Yes, it will take a serious investment, but it's about more than just weapons – it's about India's long-term security and ability to develop cutting-edge military technologies on our own terms.

 

[charminar_waale_ismail_bhai]

After freebies and subsidies, where is the money left to invest in meaningful R&D?

Can't blame the government alone when commin people of this country are ready to sell their souls for 200 units of free electricity and free travels on city buses.

 

[MANIVANNAN N]

Strong R&D and good manufacturing facility very much essential for all companies. And also good skilled man power.

In this japanese are smart. R and D in Japan. Manufacturing in Vietnam ang philipines.Marketing in India. How smart they are . Epson,canon are example. Even ink not made here.

 

[Akshat]

After freebies and subsidies, where is the money left to invest in meaningful R&D?

Can't blame the government alone when commin people of this country are ready to sell their souls for 200 units of free electricity and free travels on city buses.

Sure of freebies and subsidies as a percentage of budget is coming down rapidly (with the exception of 2 covid years).

Coming to R&D. I have often been in similar situations in the corporate life. Thing is, no one in India is yet ready to really pay for the innovation. Maybe the top2%, but not the remaining. Not even the government. And that’s obvious, considering the average income levels. So the only innovations which will actually give any return to the private sector are the innovations which can save us money. But as the middle class grows, and their disposable income grows, the scope for extra expenditure on innovations will grow and that will boost the R&D.

 

[Mak]

With a rubbish bureaucracy, red tape, IP laws(issusance & protection), phoren-maal addicted military, low government support & inducement of private R&D, low industry & educational-institution partnership, lurking dallals trying to kill indigenous products, etc, why do you think R&D doesn't happen in India?

We literally had the chance to give JUST ONE of our Air-India planes to GTRE for a flying testbed for Kaveri but we missed that.

Our military has ZERO respect for Minimum Order Quantity, they completely destroyed the production of Arjun, even after it won in the trials against the T-90s, after being handicapped.

Under these conditions why will companies risk R&Ding? Why should they risk all of that investment when you know the Indian military won't order enough for Indian companies to recoup their costs and instead the military will go for emergency purchase of overpriced phoren junk(Spike ATGMs failed in hot trials, IA still bought it🤬)? The minimum quantity ordered by the Indian military should be enough for these companies to survive and thrive.

Look at the US, they kept their Abrams tank production chains in those small towns active even when they didn't need as much of the tanks, they converted some to overhaul and maintenance and for upgradation but they kept them going because they realized this fact right after WW2, i.e. to maintain hard power projection the industrial gears need to keep churning even during peacetime.

Local industrial production is exactly what keeps militaries dominant and industry and military have always had a symbiotic reelationship, so I don't want to hear "muh military industrial complex" or "not a military's job to keep an industry employed". If a military cares about its soldiers and doesn't want to lose wars it MUST, more or less, SUBSIDIZE the local military-industry, that's the hard pill for anyone who wants to protect their nation's sovereignty must swallow, whether they like it or not.

IA is a peacetime military that refuses to learn its lessons, any Indian patriot not recognizing this hard truth and not loudly critiquing IA is in for bitter heartbreak, when they see our countrymen die in the next conflict as privileged, fat officers spew platitudes about bravery while themselves having very little combat experience, unlike the grunts, the jawans from your villages and tier 3 and tier 4 cities.

 

[Sandeep]

With a rubbish bureaucracy, red tape, IP laws(issusance & protection), phoren-maal addicted military, low government support & inducement of private R&D, low industry & educational-institution partnership, lurking dallals trying to kill indigenous products, etc, why do you think R&D doesn't happen in India?

We literally had the chance to give JUST ONE of our Air-India planes to GTRE for a flying testbed for Kaveri but we missed that.

Our military has ZERO respect for Minimum Order Quantity, they completely destroyed the production of Arjun, even after it won in the trials against the T-90s, after being handicapped.

Under these conditions why will companies risk R&Ding? Why should they risk all of that investment when you know the Indian military won't order enough for Indian companies to recoup their costs and instead the military will go for emergency purchase of overpriced phoren junk(Spike ATGMs failed in hot trials, IA still bought it🤬)? The minimum quantity ordered by the Indian military should be enough for these companies to survive and thrive.

Look at the US, they kept their Abrams tank production chains in those small towns active even when they didn't need as much of the tanks, they converted some to overhaul and maintenance and for upgradation but they kept them going because they realized this fact right after WW2, i.e. to maintain hard power projection the industrial gears need to keep churning even during peacetime.

Local industrial production is exactly what keeps militaries dominant and industry and military have always had a symbiotic reelationship, so I don't want to hear "muh military industrial complex" or "not a military's job to keep an industry employed". If a military cares about its soldiers and doesn't want to lose wars it MUST, more or less, SUBSIDIZE the local military-industry, that's the hard pill for anyone who wants to protect their nation's sovereignty must swallow, whether they like it or not.

IA is a peacetime military that refuses to learn its lessons, any Indian patriot not recognizing this hard truth and not loudly critiquing IA is in for bitter heartbreak, when they see our countrymen die in the next conflict as privileged, fat officers spew platitudes about bravery while themselves having very little combat experience, unlike the grunts, the jawans from your villages and tier 3 and tier 4 cities.

India has made a lot of progress in the last 10 years to cut down on expensive imports and achieved about a 75% reduction. We only buy some crucial platforms like transport planes, some jets, missile etc but the research budget has been increasing every year and we are starting to make more weapons and technology in India but within the next five years we would close the capability gap even more. Before the B J P government our military was dead and nothing was getting developed or purchased and it handicapped our strike capabilities. As for the emergency purchases we have only bought a limited amount of foreign weapons where we lacked the capability like with the Spike ATGM long range no line of sight missile was bought that gave our attack helicopters a advantage. Another expense has been on upgrading or maintaining our foreign products like jets, naval ships, Russian anti ship missiles etc. We have also collaborated with the private sector to manufacture a lot of weapons, parts, components and technology that was previously just imported because it was easier, quick and hassle free which has changed now. We have also started to fund more start up military research companies that develops whatever the military are interested in their competition which is working very well. There's still a lot more that we need to do but we are catching up faster.

 

[Sandeep]

India has been reducing the number of expensive foreign imports and increasing the amount of indigenous weapons made in India but there's still a lot more to do. India needs to learn and develop critical technology and platforms like jet engine, ship engines, submarines, transport planes, tanks and its engines, larger corvettes and frigates along with destroyer etc which need to be developed indigenously or made indigenously by the private sector.

 

[Hari Sud]

Whose pocket should the Government pick to fund huge R&D expenditure you are proposing. When the country reaches more trillions in economy and exports, some of that cash will flow into R&D.