You cannot fight any kind of long term war with imported equipment against an adversary who is self sufficient. These defence deals are just a way to grease the palms at the highest level. How is it that India is the only major country in the world that cannot manufacture its own hardware when tiny Israel can do it. Even China is going for 5th generation airplanes like J-20 and J-31 on its own while we are still importing Guns and helicopters. The reason is that indiginous production will close off a massive channel of graft. For the people in decision making, money is more important than national security. People like you and I may be all the patriots we want to be but the ones that matter, they are more interested in their Swiss Bank Accounts. Anyone who believes that we can stand up to China with imported equipment would be disabused of his position in a very short time were things to hit a rough patch. 

 for 100 BHP in the previous post, pl. read 1000BHP  

 If govt run ISRO can work efficiently, why can't DRDO - I believe it is defective policies which are designed to discourage indigenization rather than lack of skilled and competent engineers and scientists.

BARC (bhabha atomic research center) has been effectively emasculated in the mad rush to buy Russian, French and American nuclear reactors and now they are working --not on Thorium research --  (Manmohan is the Minister and whose budget gets cut ever year)  - but on rural development (agriculture, food security, sewage treatment, solid waste management, drinking water facilities)!

Antony Calls for Indigenisation of Military Hardware  >>> Just lies -

1) The govt recently rejected Mahindra's proposal for defence JV with Israel's Rafael.

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/india-rejects-mahindras-proposal-for-defence-jv-with-israels-rafael/1050423

2) There have been complaints from DRDO that the military changes specifications mid-way through project development and refuses to conduct tests  

3) There are enough Indian tech which can be adopted but are not

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/indl-goods/svs/engineering/70-per-cent-of-defence-machinery-imported-while-indian-defence-companies-find-government-a-hindrance/articleshow/18508801.cms

4) http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/21/why-has-india-become-the-worlds-top-arms-buyer/

>>> private sector is by and large kept out of arms production

>>> the opaque Indian defense production establishment does not produce high quality clothing and personal inventory items like boots, let alone a suitable rifle for a one million army, or tanks and aircraft.

 >>> A former Vice Chief of Air Staff lambasted a gathering of DRDO and HAL worthies saying "Let alone designing aircraft for the Air Force, you people are not even capable of reverse engineering (copying)".

BONITA, CHENNAI

I am in full agreement with the above statement considering that I have some knowledge of this department.
Mr.Antony's idea of indigenous development of high tech hardware sounds tall but is short on substance. First question, are we capable?

It is unfortunate that without any sound plan or strategy for true realisation of such ideas, our leaders give political speeches even on matters concerning security of our nation. It is like the slogan 'health for all by year 2000' because someone felt we have a claim to producing one of the largest number of doctors in the world. But have we attained even 10% of our target? This talk Antony is like that. Just to hoodwink the stupid news hungry media.

It is high time a white paper is published on the indigenous development of MBT ( Main Battle Tank) and LCA ( Light Combat Aircraft). Crores were spent on supposed research only to just satisfy our vanity. Everyone knows we just do not have that kind of technology or the contractors& technicians with technical know how/capabilities to convert a nascent idea into a prototype. Most respectable vendors like TVS etc even shun defence contracts!!

Even a moped engine was not designed independently in India and our guys talk of 100BHP engine design & production indigenously.  Can any name one world class product designed and produced in India that is a hit in the matket?

Our rail toilets are the best example of our capability in design.Our great railway engineers have been tinkering with the design of the rail toilet over the years with cheap hardware bought from local hardware shop, I feel we had better working toilets earler times when I was a young boy.

 It should be accepted that in so for as technical design is concerned we are infants.Original is like growing up from being a schhol stage singer to SP Balsubramaniam level. Unfortunately  we have remained at school stage-singer level only. There are Indians who can do better job like Sridharan, an exception, but where is the environment and encouragement for others like that? The office politics and caste equations in govt departments are greatest hurdles for innovation. Sea of mediocrity with islands is eating the national progress.

The DRDO is infested mostly by such engineers and bureacratic scientists who could not get placement any where. The brightest brains of mother India do not get to work in Govt but get to work  any where,  and it is mostly abroad. For the kind of pittance paid as salaries, no guy with ambition will feel like joining govt departments. The govt depts are headed by guys from humanities who are unprofessional but suit the convenience of politicians and that is how we continue to depend on foreign technology. Take the example of T-72 or T 90 tank. Even today the Russian technicians- not engineers- come to chennai to assist in the manufacturing these tanks which are mostly imported in CKD/SKD status. We haven't progressed in over 40 years since the tank factory was established in avadi, Chennai. 

And BTW, our inefficiency in a way is a boon for our politicians to milk the holy defence cow. If the govt companies produced all the  required ordnance, how can there be opportunities foreign contracts and jaunts that are cash cows?