Dassault's Hesitancy on ToT for Rafale May Further Delay India's MRFA Program

India's ambitious plans for acquiring 114 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) under a new "Make in India" policy may face challenges due to the reluctance of Dassault Aviation, the maker of the Rafale fighter jet, to comply with technology transfer requirements.

The Indian government's new policy mandates that the chosen aircraft for the MRFA program not only be purchased but also fully manufactured within India. This shift in policy signifies a strong push for self-reliance in the defence sector.

Despite the Rafale being a frontrunner in previous MRFA bids and India's ongoing procurement of the aircraft, Dassault's hesitation to share critical technology for local production could be a major hurdle. This is despite the fact that Dassault is experiencing a surge in export orders for the Rafale, with a backlog exceeding 200 units.

The new MRFA policy aims to establish a robust domestic aerospace industry, going beyond mere assembly to include full production and technology transfer. This is in line with the government's "Atmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliant India) initiative.

However, Dassault's reluctance could lead to potential delays in the MRFA acquisition timeline. Other contenders for the contract, including Boeing, SAAB, Lockheed Martin, Russia's MiG, and the Eurofighter Typhoon, may now have an advantage if they are more willing to meet the new policy's stringent requirements.

This situation presents a complex challenge for India, as it seeks to balance its immediate need for fighter jets with its long-term goal of developing a self-sufficient defence industry. The outcome of this negotiation with Dassault and other potential vendors will be crucial in determining the future of India's MRFA program and its broader aspirations for self-reliance in defence.

It remains to be seen how this impasse will be resolved, but it is clear that the stakes are high for both Dassault and India. The successful implementation of the MRFA program is crucial for India's national security, and Dassault's willingness to adapt to the new policy could determine its continued involvement in the Indian defence market.

 

[Radha Ramanan]

nobody seems to understand that making the rafale here even if they part with the tech would be no brainer as it would be more than double the price per fighter bought out right. we dont have the trained tech man power, very high tolerant CNC machines, workmanship to western standards and many more.
A good example is the su-30mki.. it costs us nearly 75 mill$ to make one in India whereas u can buy it of the shelf for around 45 mill$. Making a soviet fighter is not that great a task given their crude tolerances. But the rafale is a semi steal fighter where great attention was paid to lower the RCS.
will we part with the hard earned tech and production technology for the LCA? i guess not. ie aesa radar, FBW software ??

 

[AK S]

How expedite when HAL can make only 4 Tejas MK1 or MK1A jets per year....?? That is why the main reasons why IAF asked for MRFA!!

Because Govt and IAF only paid for 5 hangars in LCA division. 3 more from legacy Kiran hangars. With this infra and a DPSU, expecting more is unrealistic.

This is set to change … 8 more hangars in LCA division will start rolling out Mk1A this fiscal. About 8 Su30MkI hangars in Nashik is also being repurposed and should start roll out by this fiscal. My estimate is Nashik roll out will take longer than this fiscal. All in all, by next fiscal HAL will deliver 20+ Tejas annually.

 

[Indrakumar Salam]

Buy some off the shelf to replenish squadron strength without any tech transfer and use the saved money in R and D of Tejas mark 2 and Amca.

 

[PANDI RAJ]

We need those jets as fast as possible and if we going for USA. Ask for f35 only.. Or else buy 4 squad of rafale or su 35 or 57 with TOT and we need our production line to be up.. Mk1 won't serve much we need amca atleast mk2 version of tejas for stability

 

[wallisk]

nobody seems to understand that making the rafale here even if they part with the tech would be no brainer as it would be more than double the price per fighter bought out right. we dont have the trained tech man power, very high tolerant CNC machines, workmanship to western standards and many more.
A good example is the su-30mki.. it costs us nearly 75 mill$ to make one in India whereas u can buy it of the shelf for around 45 mill$. Making a soviet fighter is not that great a task given their crude tolerances. But the rafale is a semi steal fighter where great attention was paid to lower the RCS.
will we part with the hard earned tech and production technology for the LCA? i guess not. ie aesa radar, FBW software ??

Right now ONLY 2 viable options are there i.e., RAC-MIG MIG35 with 100% ToT's make in India- with all DRDO-BEL AESA radars fbw computers displays avionics and EW SPJ systems. And also, build using NAL-HAL developed latest polymer composites 95% of MIG35-i airframe for lowest RCS. Can pay MBDA and integrate Meteors also to Uttam AESA radar for this MIG35i next...
Other option would be to co-develop Saab Gripen-E similar to the MIG35i as mentioned above; by removing ALL European-USA makes of avionics radars etc. Only 80% ToT's of GE-F414 engines are the hurdles here...
BUT however, both of above options will invlove time and funds for the redevelopment process of these jets..

 

[Sarang Ingle]

Good I would be happy if we get the f15ex in a heartbeat or.... I'm also okay at least if got the EFT or Saab Gripen e/d as long there's something acceptable 60~80% tech transfer but it would be lovely if the can give 100% of it or just form JV

But sir, we do already have the Su-30MKIs, the equivalent to the F15s. Don't you think the Typhoon would be a better alternativeto the Rafales?

 

[De_SECULARISED]

Throw the money meant for MRFA ~Rafael to build a production line to produce 24 LCA MK2 fighters/year will be best bet for now.

 

[sanket]

If dassault wont play ball, then pick boeing F/A 18, or F15 and give the naval order to boeing too.

Boeing has already shown its commitment to localisation. Factories in India build parts for all of Boeing's Apache helicopters, globally, even though we bought so few. Also, we build parts for the civilian boeing aircrafts too.

India done well by buying Only 36 Rafale in MMRCA, it was Indian order which started order flow for Dassault.Earlier it was Mirage-2000 Deal which was having costly upgrade package Time to show Mirror to Dassault if they fail to meet MRFA Requirement.options are available in MRFA.

 

[kumar]

Going after foreign m@@l and this is bound to happen. Focus our funding and energies on atmanirbharatha programmes and for gods sake release funding on time. First change defence minister and put someone who is proactive. Let him clean up the system starting from armed forces.

 

[AK S]

nobody seems to understand that making the rafale here even if they part with the tech would be no brainer as it would be more than double the price per fighter bought out right. we dont have the trained tech man power, very high tolerant CNC machines, workmanship to western standards and many more.
A good example is the su-30mki.. it costs us nearly 75 mill$ to make one in India whereas u can buy it of the shelf for around 45 mill$. Making a soviet fighter is not that great a task given their crude tolerances. But the rafale is a semi steal fighter where great attention was paid to lower the RCS.
will we part with the hard earned tech and production technology for the LCA? i guess not. ie aesa radar, FBW software ??

It’s a lame justification. Let them do the transfer. Later we will deal with the absorption part of it. Problem is ToT.

TOT absorption might be a thing of the past. We are making/targetting lot more sophisticated products requiring much higher precision eg AMCA manufacturing will require precisions higher than Rafale. Add to it GE F414. So are you suggesting we should abandon them.

 

[Rajesh]

Nothing bad about this decision from govt. This should have been the norm for all deals. Govt should also include the engines to be made in india in a jv so that the engines can be used for other projects if it fulfills the requirements. Great decision.

 

[Ravi]

India should invite China to setup and manufacture it's stealth jets in India. This will cause a seismic shift in relations

 

[Ayyadurai Namasivayam]

India should go with gripen e which has more powerful radar and ew systems than rafale and euro fighter thypoon . Germany is worst country and they will block eurofighter TOTs. France back stabbed India in MMRCA and mirage 2000 upgrade.

 

[Arz786]

Dassault may agree to do just the assembly - just like C 295 is being done by Tata and Airbus. Challenge is when we ask for tech transfer related to systems, sensors etc. Dassault may not have those technologies and those are mostly with their suppliers such as Safran, Thales, MBDA etc. It will be the same story with Lockheed and Boeing. However, Lockheed and Boeing may bring a few extra sensors into the list of ToT because they have a little more in-house capability than Dassault.

 

[Raja Raja Cholan]

Many were saying that the Americans can't be trusted if Indian government decides to buy American fighter aircrafts bcoz they could stop providing spares if India doesn't support their sanctions or foreign policies. Can we trust the French? When HAL were struggling with engines for Tejas they were reluctant to share Snecma engine technology with India too. The French probably are reluctant bcoz they fear that Indian engineers will be equipped with advanced technologies from Rafael and it may reduce one reliable customer.

Anyways there are still other vendors vying for the MRFA contract. This French reluctance may prompt others to provide better offers. Of course it all depends on IAF's ultimate selection and vendors satisfying technology transfer and make in India requirements.

 

[Sandeep]

Dassault may agree to do just the assembly - just like C 295 is being done by Tata and Airbus. Challenge is when we ask for tech transfer related to systems, sensors etc. Dassault may not have those technologies and those are mostly with their suppliers such as Safran, Thales, MBDA etc. It will be the same story with Lockheed and Boeing. However, Lockheed and Boeing may bring a few extra sensors into the list of ToT because they have a little more in-house capability than Dassault.

No the C295 will be manufactured in India and not just assembled. Not 100% but a significant amount will be.

 

[charminar_waale_ismail_bhai]

............................................MISSING!!!...................



Our dear Friend, Shri Monsieur Akshat has been missing in the comment section if this article.

If found on any other article, please point him to this article and if anybody knows his real whereabout. Please convey our disappointment from all other fellow commentors in this group.

Thank you.

 

[Pramkumar]

Better to cancel the MRFA and go for atleast 350 MK1a and 350 MK2 and develop ORCA as 5th gen replacement for Su-30MKI

 

[Aravind Raveendran]

Even though this is detrimental to our interests ,can't blame the French for looking after theirs. TOT was, is and will continue to be a bone of contention in any deal especially in platforms with advanced technology.
We need to find ways to get around this problem, Y don't we invest the money in India for R&D and build an ecosystem with the help and guidance of some eminent brains that can be bought from the West ?

 

[Sandeep]

No country will give 100% of the technology and especially on critical items like engines, avionics, radar, EW etc. We face two options. Either we buy it off the shelf or we let dassault manufacture 100% of the jet in India but we get no technology transfer. India wants the jets and its capabilities more than owning the technology as by making the jets in India it will provide skilled jobs and set up an entire ecosystem.

But thinking realistically India still couldn’t afford spending over $25 billion in making the jets in India and it’s highly unlikely that they will manage to get a deal.

India needs to focus on manufacturing the Tejas MK1A jets and create more production lines and ensure they manufacture the maximum amount of jets they can possibly use. They also need to start manufacturing the prototypes of Tejas MK2 and AMCA as quick as possible as funding has been given to make several prototypes.

 

[SK]

I hope that Indian-Govt considers to cancel MRFA & instead opt to:-
(1) Buy Additional 18 Rafale jets for IAF

(2) At least 24 Rafale-M for IN

(3) Encourage a JV b/w IAF & IN to invest in:-
(a) TEDBF (ORCA)
(b) AMCA

This is the only sensible way to insure Squadron availability, Logistical Synergy & Economy of Scales.

 

[Aayush Pratap]

And the circus continues.. 😂

 

[PKPRS]

Good I would be happy if we get the f15ex in a heartbeat or.... I'm also okay at least if got the EFT or Saab Gripen e/d as long there's something acceptable 60~80% tech transfer but it would be lovely if the can give 100% of it or just form JV

With SU-30 upgrade in the pipeline, I wonder if they will go for F15, we could make 200 Gripen and for the Navy we could go with 50+ F/A-18 made in India.

 

[Sommyarup Roy]

Just make tejas mk2

 

[Avada kedavra]

with the number of squadrons nose diving in the air force. The govt should not make any changes that will cause even more delays.

And if france also does not want tech transfer then what makes it different thanother western suppliers likr US UK germany korea japan etc?
They were suppose 2b indias strong ally.

 

[Rudra]

Good I would be happy if we get the f15ex in a heartbeat or.... I'm also okay at least if got the EFT or Saab Gripen e/d as long there's something acceptable 60~80% tech transfer but it would be lovely if the can give 100% of it or just form JV

It would be nice if Boeing gives maximum possible TOT and the US government doesn't impose any restrictions for F-15EX. Then we can go for it. Either that or increase the number of Tejas every year.

 

[wallisk]

with the number of squadrons nose diving in the air force. The govt should not make any changes that will cause even more delays.

And if france also does not want tech transfer then what makes it different thanother western suppliers likr US UK germany korea japan etc?
They were suppose 2b indias strong ally.

NO country in the world is ready to give up engine tech's and radar ew systems tech's so easily. Might be Saab Gripen-E could emerge a winner as they showed a lot of interest for jv with HAL to make in India Indian-GripenE, it remains to be seen?

 

[wallisk]

Better to cancel the MRFA and go for atleast 350 MK1a and 350 MK2 and develop ORCA as 5th gen replacement for Su-30MKI

At the rate of 4 MK1A jets per year it will take HAL 175 years to produce 700 jets.

 

[desigandu]

Good, no compromise on domestic manufacturing or TOT…If the French don’t play ball pitch them against the swedes and the Americans…

 

[wallisk]

India should go with gripen e which has more powerful radar and ew systems than rafale and euro fighter thypoon . Germany is worst country and they will block eurofighter TOTs. France back stabbed India in MMRCA and mirage 2000 upgrade.

I am 100% sure Saab will emerge out of the ashes of MRFA, as the final winner- even though it will take a lot more time and funds to replace all European and USA make of avionics systems in Gripen-E. Then Saab-HAL jv can move faster on MK2 and AMCA programs also with Saab tech's.