India has laid down non-negotiable clauses for French plane maker Dassault on the process, including the level of transfer of technology, for making the next tranche of 114 Rafale fighter jets in India.
Sources told The Tribune that non-negotiables include integration of Indian weapons, missiles and ammunition on all 114 jets; the plane maker will provide secure data links to allow digital integration of the jets with Indian radars and sensors sending imagery to ground-based controllers.
These two clauses look innocuous but need the plane maker to weave in a seamless command system for weapons and also for sending and receiving data. This will need the plane maker to introduce changes…