Sunday, November 09, 2025 | 05:16 AM ISTहिंदी में पढें
Business Standard
Notification Icon
userprofile IconSearch

Defence acquisitions: A choice between tweedledum and tweedledee

Are the elaborate processes and procedures for buying weapons sub-optimal precisely because they are so elaborate, questions T N Ninan

Image
premium

T N Ninan
It can be no one’s case that buying complex weaponry like fighter aircraft or helicopters is easy business. The Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG’s) report on air force purchases mentions 660 specifications in the medium fighter order, and 42 for a radar system. Nor can it be a cut-and-dried process — for that might lead to all bidders in most contracts being disqualified at the outset. Besides, the relative importance given to individual specifications or product features can significantly affect judgements on what the best offer is — and (let’s face it) these are often matters of judgement. In the
Disclaimer: These are personal views of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of www.business-standard.com or the Business Standard newspaper