It’s not all “electronics”

I am impressed with the online information provided as part of the #MakeInIndia initiative. For example, a list of open indigenization projects is available for anyone to look through. As I write this, I scroll through the list published on 16th August 2019. I notice the way my attention moves: scroll over the foam casing, stop at the code scan card, scroll over the gear assembly, stop at the NAV display circuit card.

Though my blog entries look at the projects and opportunities through an “electronics, communication, and computing” lens, there is sophisticated technology that is not all “electronics”, and it is as important as “electronics and digitization” for India’s military strength.

My first point is that there are opportunities for indigenization in chemistry, materials sciences, and manufacturing processes. I marvel at how light a casing can be and yet will survive a fall from 5000 feet; how a rubber hose will resist extreme temperature and vibration. The opportunities to develop indigenous technology is not limited to a particular field. Foam, pipes, all of these are important — we must remember that for want of a nail the kingdom was lost. So, my friends, we must respect the nail.

My second point is that reliability and ruggedness are key parameters in military technology. Both of these have to be demonstrated before an equipment is adopted. As a result, an earlier generation technology often coexists with a newer generation technology.

Let me explain with an example. Today, navigation is rarely done with a paper map. Gyro based navigation guidance systems exist side by side with a satellite / communication based navigation system. From a development standpoint, more than five decades separate these technologies. More importantly, the gyro based navigational systems serves as the fallback if the modern system fails or is unavailable for some reason.

I cannot help but give a little background on inertial guidance — because I like tangents and scenic routes to my final point. So let’s say that you are at sea or in the sky, how do you navigate in the absence of reference points? Prior to satellites, navigation was done with inertial guidance systems – with gyroscopes. A gyro is a spinning wheel. These were precision machines (what we might also refer to as sophisticated technology). When the aircraft would change direction, the gyro would precess, and the amount of precession could be used to estimate the change in direction, and to plot your course. At the time that the gyro systems were invented, electronics was in its infancy. This equipment is electromechanical, and when they were invented, they were state of the art. They are just the thing that is needed when you need to travel large distances in a short amount of time. So if you are a missile and you are going to reach your target 1200km away in 15 minutes, you cannot use the stars in the sky to navigate. In many cases, these systems are self-contained and do not rely on communication links etc. and they were the genesis of what we would call “smart navigation” today.