A big reason for the growing friendship between France and India is the Rafale fighter jet. This 4.5 generation aircraft is a major part of the Indian Air Force’s warplanes. India destroyed half of Pakistan’s Adha during Operation Sindh in May 2025. The biggest thing is that even after joining the Indian Air Force in large numbers, France cannot fully trust India. It is avoiding providing information on the technology related to the Rafale’s source code and radar IPR. However, talks have already progressed to buy 114 Dassault Rafale multi-role fighter jets for a price of crores of dollars.
Indian Ministry of Defense wants interface data
Despite the obstacles related to source code and radar IPR, the India-France Rafale talks are moving forward. The Defence Ministry is demanding interface data to interface with indigenous weapons. It is said that the ongoing dispute over the intellectual property rights (IPR) of the radar and access to the core software of the aircraft may delay the deal. The delay comes at a time when the Indian Air Force is in dire need of augmenting its dwindling fighter squadrons. According to the proposed deal between the two governments for the purchase of 114 Rafale fighter jets, France’s response to the Letter of Request (LoR) is expected by mid-August. Defence officials said that the French authorities have sought time till mid-August to respond to the LoR. India had sent the LoR in May this year. After France’s response, the two sides will discuss price and other issues.
There are two major hurdles
First, Dassault Aviation says that the IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) for the Rafale’s advanced RBE2 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar is fully owned by its French partner Thales, making it difficult for India to modify or replace it. The second hurdle is the source code of the Rafale fighter jet, which France is not sharing.
Rafale’s source code is the ‘digital brain’
The Rafale fighter jet’s highly classified source code acts as the ‘digital brain’ that controls its mission computer, sensor fusion and SPECTRA electronic warfare suite. It is completely protected and sealed due to the restrictions imposed by French experts. Paris considers these codes to be an important national security asset, protecting its decades-old proprietary technology.
