Antony for indigenous weapon systems suited to Indian climate

(IBN Live) : New Delhi, Jun 22 (PTI) Observing that imported weapon systems come with "hidden costs, time and cost overruns", Defence Minister A K Antony today asked the domestic industry to develop systems as per the country's climatic conditions. "Imported systems and technology come with hidden costs, time and cost overruns," he said while addressing a seminar on standards for quality and empowerment here. Antony said imported weapons did not always suit India's climate and technology should be developed keeping in mind Indian conditions. "There have been instances where systems developed by other nations work well in cooler climates and at lower temperatures, but the efficiency of the product and technology goes down in nations with warmer climate like ours," he said. Antony said to achieve the exacting quality standards of our armed forces the defence industry needed to invest more in Research and Development. "Both the Defence PSUs as well as the emerging private sector will have to invest more in Defence R&D, something like the pharma sector has done," the Minister said. He said there is need for investing in defence industry, more so in terms of faith and confidence in capabilities. "We must gradually reduce our reliance on foreign suppliers considering that transfer of technology is easier said than done," he said. The Defence Minister said the defence forces must be given the choice among the best technologies available as "greater competition will lead all the participants in the Defence Sector to raise productivity levels � both in terms of quality and quantity," he said.