Electronics and defense: turning setbacks into successes

Though it has its share of unique challenges, the Indian electronics industry is like those of more advanced countries in at least one way: a huge quantity of garden-variety electronics winds up in commercial and consumer products, but the most advanced applications are the almost exclusive province of Government establishments like defense. The authors describe how, interestingly, in electronics as in several other technologies, India has managed to respond to setbacks-the denial of technology by other countries or the exacting of extremely high prices for support and spare parts-by turning them into research or full-scale development opportunities.<>