Dassault Aviation has firmly rejected India’s request for access to the source codes of Rafale fighter jets. The French defence company cited the strategic importance and security sensitivity of the codes as the reason for keeping them confidential.
Growing Tensions over Source Code Access
In 2016, India signed a €7.8 billion deal with France for 36 Rafale fighter jets, all of which have been delivered and deployed at the Ambala and Hasimara airbases. However, the system codes necessary for integrating Indian-made weapon systems with the Rafale jets have not been shared by the French side.
France: This Is Strategic Information
French defence companies Dassault Aviation and Thales stressed that the source codes are the result of decades of R&D. They argued that sharing such information could lead to:
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The spread of technological secrets,
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Compromise of system integrity,
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Emergence of security vulnerabilities, and
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Complications in providing technical support.
Greece Also Operates Rafales
The controversy is not limited to India. Greece, which has periodic tensions with Turkey, also recently added Rafale jets to its fleet. The lack of access to source codes means Rafale users may be unable to fully customise the aircraft or integrate them effectively with domestic systems.
India’s New Agreement and Expectations
In April 2025, India signed a new €6.9 billion deal for the naval version of the Rafale, the Rafale-M. The 26 jets are expected to be delivered to the Indian Navy between 2028 and 2030, with deployment planned on the INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya aircraft carriers.
India aims to integrate indigenous weapons, such as the Astra Mk1 missile and the SAAW (Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon), into the Rafale platform. However, France is only providing limited and controlled technical support for these integrations. Development is being carried out through software development kits provided by Dassault and with joint engineering teams.
