Off To Mumbai To Watch F47 Become INS Shivalik

Out of three wings of Indian armed forces , the Navy is the youngest but the wisest , they have proved to the whole world that the route of indiginization helps in acquiring more higher no of platforms at a lower cost , generates employment and saves valueable foreign exchange

Beautiful ship

'Out of three wings of Indian armed forces , the Navy is the youngest but the wisest , they have proved to the whole world that the route of indigenization….'

I have heard this so many times and for once I will tell you how wrong that statement is.

1. There is competition among the three state owned shipyards that drives them to produce stuff quicker and better. Compare this with the monopoly of the land and air systems DPSUs. Also, private sector and foreign involvement is high in these yards.

2. None of the systems that were made for the Army and AF ever met their QRs. The navy also rejected the Trishul missile without second thought. And the navy took the Shivalik through a record 7 years of sea trials, unbeaten in history of naval procurement it seems.

3. Most weapons, sensors etc. on the Indian ships are of foreign origin. Making a ship hull is relatively easier.

4. The nature of building a navy is as such that time is critical. It takes decades to build a navy. So Indian ships will keep getting made despite foreign orders.

5. Army and AF are not fools. Both services are mature and professional. But there is no sense in acquiring weapons that will put us at a disadvantage in the highly competitive modern battlefield.