| Summary/Abstract |
Military platforms, whether tanks, artillery guns, aircraft, ships, submarines or helicopters are enormously complex mechanisms comprising numerous different systems, such as propulsion, transmission, power generation and distribution, each individual weapon, each sensor, communications, electronic warfare, fire-fighting, cooling, hydraulics etc. Each system is designed with redundancies and comprises numerous different subsystems, assemblies, subassemblies and component parts. No manufacturer makes all the component units that go into the platform; he invariably sources them from ancillary industry that fulfils requisite specifications at the most economical price. The source, particularly for dual use units, could be located anywhere on the planet. India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), for example, produces about half of the forward passenger doors used by Airbus A 320 aircraft globally.
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