Defence Minister George Fernandes on Tuesday stressed the need to equip the Indian armed forces with the very best in weapons technology.
Inaugurating the golden jubilee year celebrations of Bharat Electronics Ltd in Bangalore on Tuesday, Fernandes said one lesson that the Iraq war had taught everyone was that superiority in technology was key to winning modern day battles.
"The fact that casualties were more on the Iraqi side goes to prove that the technological capabilities of the allied forces were far superior," Fernandes said.
He said the peace moves initiated by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee should not make the defence services complacent, as Pakistan had not learnt any lesson from its four wars with India.
"Though all wars are finally settled at the table, we cannot afford to wait for the last shot to be fired. No nation can afford to be in a state of conflict perpetually, peace should be given a chance. At the same time, our defence services should be fully prepared and equipped with the best of weapons and technology," the defence minister said.
Fernandes said defence undertakings such as BEL and other public sector enterprises should invest more in research and development.
"When defence organisations make a commitment to deliver a particular weapon or technology in a time frame of, say five
Recalling his experience with international arms dealers, Fernandes said dependence on imports always proves to be costly as spares cost more than the weapons. "This is where R&D becomes critical to our defence preparedness. Investment in modern technology and human resources will make India self-sufficient in not only indigenous production, but also in developing such technologies that can take on the best in the world.
"It is better to make ploughs for our farmers than produce second-grade weapons. As the stakes are very big, high technology has to be generated for greater integration of the armed forces," Fernandes said.
The minister said time had come for the defence undertakings to emerge globally competitive. "Defence business is a major market in today's world. Only the best products can be bought and sold. Any country that has the capability to deliver such products will be able to command the price.
"As the security of one's state has become paramount in a fast-changing geo-political scenario, even a poor country is willing to spend any amount to buy the best weapons for defending its borders," Fernandes said.
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