Does the Indian Army need a different approach to testing and evaluating defence technologies as the pace of innovation accelerates?
Defence procurement is often shaped by long timelines, evolving requirements and complex evaluation processes. But what happens when the technology being evaluated changes faster than the system designed to procure it? Can a more consistent, competitive and repeatable approach to field trials help the Army identify capable products while giving industry a fair opportunity to demonstrate what they can deliver?
In the concluding episode of “Working with the Indian Defence Ecosystem: Defence Procurement – A Practitioner’s Perspective”, Brigadier Narendra Pratap Singh (Retd) presents a proposal for discussion that he calls the “Touchstone of Battle”.
The proposal centres on a standing competitive field trial at the command level, initially focused on drones and counter-drone systems, with trials conducted twice a year for rapidly evolving technology categories.
The idea is built around four principles:
Compete on common ground: Announce an operational challenge with clearly defined system requirements, minimum performance thresholds, scoring criteria, anticipated quantities and budget.
Connect the systems: Evaluate drones and counter-drone systems together, examining interoperability, connectivity, software, timing and data sharing rather than testing individual products in isolation.
Rank qualified firms: Use transparent, pre-published evaluation criteria, measured performance data and trials conducted under realistic operational conditions. Only firms that meet the required standards should qualify.
Place orders through the proper process: A successful trial should provide credible technical evidence, not automatically result in a procurement order. Contracting procedures, availability of funds and competent financial sanction must continue to govern acquisition decisions.
Drawing on practical considerations from military trials and the changing nature of defence technology, Brigadier Singh outlines how such a framework could work.
