Technology Transfer in the Indian Defence Sector : A Reality Check and Suggested Mechanisms

Any country that aspires to be a defence technology leader needs a well-developed industrial base. For a country like India, this necessitates building of the defence industrial base through technology transfer from countries that are more technologically advanced. The Indian experience of Technology Transfer in the Defence Sector, however, has not been very fruitful. While this is commonly attributed to our inability to absorb technology, a deeper analysis would reveal that a reluctance from defence majors in advanced countries to share technology has been a critical factor. This paper attempts to understand the contours of the defence technology transfer framework with particular reference to the Indian Defence Sector. It brings out the challenges India faces in acquiring and absorbing defence technology. At the end a framework of mechanisms to robustify defence technology transfer has been suggested.