The impact of export controls on indigenous technology development: the case of India’s space programme.

The timing of export controls and the state of technological capability of a ‘target’ country at a given time
appear to determine the degree of impact of export controls on a ‘target’ country. The impact is likely to be
much greater in the formative phase than in the accumulative phase of technology accumulation. Also, the
export controls, instead of hampering, could provide an incentive for a strong indigenous effort in building
capabilities, eventually making a ‘target country more independent and more immune to export controls.
India’s space programme makes an interesting case study of the impact of export controls on capability
building, as India has been one of the targets for export control regimes. The technology developments in
India’s space programme suggests that the export controls have caused only small delays and did not affect
the programme seriously. It appears that the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) came into force
too late to have a serious adverse impact on India, as India has already attained threshold capabilities. It
also appears that export controls have forced India to plan and strategically manage indigenous technology
development to overcome problems posed by these controls.