Lethe
Captain
I don't see the problem with seeking source code access. The point is to be able to integrate domestic and other foreign munitions of choice, to add and substitute components, perhaps decades hence, without going through the vendor who will at least extract a healthy profit for the privilege and may even slow, obstruct or deny those integrations as suits their interests. It may be that those objectives can be met in other ways, but the objective itself is reasonable enough. Witness how long the UK as a "Tier 1 development partner" has been forced to wait for Meteor and SPEAR 3 integration on F-35. Meanwhile Israel get special access...
It's also understandable that vendors would be protective of sensitive items such as the source code for various subsystems, or at least would place a high premium on such access. It's a tactical problem. The time to negotiate for source code access is when you have multiple vendors fiercely competing for a tender that is so large and valuable that it may tempt them to exhibit an unusual degree of flexibility. The time to negotiate is not after you have already bought 36 Rafales and then another 26 and have all but committed yourself to buying more anyway. Same thing with General Electric. The time to negotiate on F414 technology transfer is when you can credibly hold the threat of going elsewhere over GE's head, not after you have already boxed yourself in to buying their engines for decades to come.
The Indian procurement process is so sclerotic and difficult to turn around that any vendor that has managed to get one foot in the door is going to be very confident that inertia will eventually carry them through without requiring further sacrifices such as acceding to new ToT or source code demands. A further problem is that India has rarely been willing to commit funds on the scale required to generate sufficient leverage.
It's also understandable that vendors would be protective of sensitive items such as the source code for various subsystems, or at least would place a high premium on such access. It's a tactical problem. The time to negotiate for source code access is when you have multiple vendors fiercely competing for a tender that is so large and valuable that it may tempt them to exhibit an unusual degree of flexibility. The time to negotiate is not after you have already bought 36 Rafales and then another 26 and have all but committed yourself to buying more anyway. Same thing with General Electric. The time to negotiate on F414 technology transfer is when you can credibly hold the threat of going elsewhere over GE's head, not after you have already boxed yourself in to buying their engines for decades to come.
The Indian procurement process is so sclerotic and difficult to turn around that any vendor that has managed to get one foot in the door is going to be very confident that inertia will eventually carry them through without requiring further sacrifices such as acceding to new ToT or source code demands. A further problem is that India has rarely been willing to commit funds on the scale required to generate sufficient leverage.
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