Guys, let’s get real.
With it’s educational push and a lot of hard work and sacrifice after the Korean war, South Korea has become one of the top dogs in the East when it comes to industrial and technological development. Their achievement can be nothing short of enviable.
They have not alienated all their hens that laid golden eggs, while getting there, like we have done. And correctly too!
This is a country that has a nominal gdp of 1.85billion dollars and a population of 51 million. It has a well established automotive production capacity while carrying it’s own brands with a world leading electronics and heavy industries to top it.
Without their input Altay tank could not have materialised. And they came to it’s rescue with the engine and transmission when we were left in the lurch by the Germans.
It is not a clever and economically correct thing to manufacture everything in house for a vehicle or weapon system. Mercedes uses Renault engine blocks in its 1500cc engines. Many parts for major car manufacturers are obtained from far east.
Just because some Boeing planes‘ parts are manufactured abroad (Tusas being amongst them) or the engines have parts that are manufactured by subcontractors (like, TEI, MTU Aero and IHI) doesn’t make that plane any less developed. The design is still American.
Let us not belittle others. But look at what we are doing. We are at the precipice of getting stuck on KAAN project now. US f110 engine supply is a big question mark still.
We don’t know when our indigenous engine will be ready to fly KAAN. Whether we will encounter any obstacles in its development is an unknown at the moment. That is why we are buying Typhoons.