I wouldn't dismiss Indian technological expertise to that extent. True, it doesn't shines at doing combat aircrarft, and that's mainly due to the fact it's done by state-owned companies white elephants, buried under red tape, with managers clinging to their posts as if they were for life.
But the tech expertise is there, other projects are quite convincing, take Bhramos for example. Or expertise in electronics. One has to check for other Indian private partners.
It’s not about being negative, but about being realistic!
The fact is—and this is evident from every project India has undertaken in recent decades (especially Tejas and Kaveri)—India can contribute NOTHING technologically to the FCAS.3, so what’s the point? Funding—which would otherwise have come primarily from Germany and Spain—to develop the type, but to believe—given that France has already been quite reluctant to make concessions regarding technology transfer, IP rights, project leadership, etc., to Germany, Spain, and Belgium
It's Dassault, not France. And also see the very beginning of the agreement :
- It was to be a cooperation between Dassault (France) and Airbus DS (Germany), with Dassault leading the design. The thing was signed as such.
- Spain was then added (at Dassault's dislike) , as Airbus Spain, which is Airbus the same as Airbus DS... So Dassault found itself having 33%, with in effect Airbus having 66% of the thing.
- the Belgium wanted to join all the while ordering F-35s, adding to the comedy.
- That's when Dassault started seeing there was clearly a problem with tech transfert while having only 33%, AND the fact that the political situation had changed in Germany, with an big new def budget and Airbus/Germans politics and unions pushing to have a big chunk for them only, so they started dragging their feet, contesting the initial agreement that Dassault would manage the design.
There could have been tech transfert from Dassault, IF the situation had stayed the same as the initial agreement, ie France - German, Dassault - Airbus, 50 - 50 % cooperation, with Dassault leading the design.
—that India would be allowed to join as an equal partner is downright naive!
If they’re allowed to participate—and only by France’s grace—then they’ll have to pay, have no say in decisions (because India only delays everything even more than Germany did), and in the end, politely say thank you. If they’re lucky, they’ll get a production line in India and assemble kits… that’s all it will amount to!
Well yes, maybe India would have much less to put on the table in term of tech for such a cooperation, appart from money.
But it would be a 50/50 cooperation, as the original FCAS agreement, which Dassault signed.
Not Dassault willing to transfert tech for only 33% work share and no leading role.
And there are other factors than tech to be taken into account.
Both countries have strategic common interests, they are both very attached to their defence and political independence (each their own way obviously), they are both nuclear powers, they both want a navy capable of defending their interests in the Indian and Pacific oceans. All this can be very valuable in such cooperation.
I think, France has in fact more in common with India in term of foreign policy strategic interests than with Germany.
So Tejas, HAL and other stuff may be laughable, but it's not the only things one has to keep in mind when thinking about India to make a realistic assessment.
