Rafale in India: why Paris refuses to hand over its military software in a $40 billion contract

Four months after India's approval to purchase 114 Rafale fighters, no final contract has been signed due to a technical requirement regarding access to embedded software. India is requesting the Document of Control Interface (DCI) to integrate its own missiles, but France fears this could expose its technologies to Russian engineers. A compromise is being negotiated to allow integration without handing over the source code, with a formal tender expected in May 2026.