India’s ambitious push to integrate its indigenous Uttam AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar into its soon-to-be-acquired fleet of 26 Rafale M carrier-borne fighters has reportedly run into an immovable obstacle — fierce resistance from the aircraft’s original manufacturer, France’s Dassault Aviation.
This development comes as a blow to New Delhi’s aspirations to push deeper into its “Atmanirbhar Bharat” self-reliance drive by embedding critical home-grown radar technologies into its latest frontline fighter assets.
According to multiple well-placed defence industry sources, the Indian Navy’s plans to see its Rafale M fleet take off with the Uttam AESA radar have been effectively grounded due to Dassault Aviation’s steadfast opposition.
The French manufacturer, renowned for its control over sensitive source codes and integration rights, is reportedly adamant that the Rafale M must retain the RBE2 AESA radar, a combat-tested system widely trusted across operational Rafale fleets worldwide.
This decision is being positioned by Dassault as the only workable compromise to ensure that the aircraft retains maximum operational readiness while balancing India’s domestic industrial goals.
Dassault Aviation argues that any attempt to fit the Rafale M with India’s indigenous Uttam AESA radar would expose the programme to considerable “technical, financial, and intellectual property challenges.”
The core of the issue boils down to India’s longstanding frustration with access to the Rafale’s source code, the digital DNA that controls the integration of new weapons and mission systems.
According to defence officials cited by national media, Dassault Aviation has consistently refused to share the Rafale’s source code with New Delhi — despite repeated high-level requests aimed at giving India the flexibility to plug in locally-developed systems.
This resistance echoes earlier friction points over India’s drive to integrate indigenous weapons, sensors, and electronic warfare payloads into the Rafale airframe — a friction that now threatens to shape the next decade of India’s naval aviation posture.
The 26 Rafale M multi-role fighters ordered by the Indian Navy will be deployed primarily aboard the 45,000-tonne INS Vikrant, India’s indigenously-built aircraft carrier that forms the centerpiece of the country’s push for a blue-water navy.
INS Vikrant, which entered operational service in 2022, is expected to reach its full carrier strike group potential between 2028 and 2030 — making the timely delivery and integration of the Rafale M critical for India’s power projection in the Indian Ocean.
The overall deal, reportedly valued at USD5 billion (approximately MYR 23.6 billion), includes not only the carrier-borne fighters but also an advanced weapons package featuring Meteor Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missiles and Exocet AM39 anti-ship missiles, significantly enhancing the Indian Navy’s maritime strike envelope.
Defence analysts see this fleet modernisation as a clear signal of India’s determination to maintain maritime and aerial superiority across the Indo-Pacific, particularly as China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) expands its carrier operations with the Liaoning and Shandong frequently venturing into the Indian Ocean Region.
By contrast, India’s current carrier aviation capability has long been dogged by reliability issues with its MiG-29K fleet, plagued by poor serviceability and maintenance challenges since its induction aboard INS Vikramaditya.
The Rafale M is expected to decisively bridge these gaps with its hardened carrier design, robust tailhook system, reinforced undercarriage for ski-jump take-offs, and proven operational pedigree under the harsh conditions of carrier deck operations.
One of the core highlights of the Rafale M’s standard fit-out is the RBE2 AESA radar, a sophisticated multi-mode sensor paired with the SPECTRA electronic warfare suite and a secure tactical data link to enable seamless network-centric warfare in maritime theatres.
The Indian defence industry has long argued that integrating the Uttam AESA radar would offer a home-grown, flexible, and potentially exportable option to reduce dependence on foreign radar technologies.
The Uttam AESA, developed by the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE) under DRDO, is widely touted as India’s most advanced airborne radar to date, designed to rival systems like Israel’s EL/M-2052, Russia’s Zhuk-AE, and Sweden’s Raven ES-05.
The Uttam AESA radar delivers long-range detection exceeding 150 km against fighter-sized targets, multi-target tracking, and robust electronic counter-countermeasures — critical traits for surviving dense jamming and hostile EW environments.
The radar’s modular architecture allows it to be adapted for multiple platforms, from the Tejas Mk1A, Tejas Mk2, and future Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) to high-performance unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) and even potential maritime variants.
Recent reports confirm that the Indian Air Force has already greenlit the integration of the Uttam AESA on over 80 Tejas Mk1A fighters, with the first units expected to roll off the production line by 2025.
Defence industry insiders view Uttam’s success as a vital testbed that could unlock lucrative export markets across Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East for Indian radar technologies — an angle that aligns squarely with New Delhi’s goal of transforming India into a net exporter of high-end defence hardware.
However, the failure to embed Uttam AESA into the Rafale M fleet exposes the hard limits of India’s defence autonomy when dealing with high-value, foreign-origin platforms tightly controlled by original equipment manufacturers.
Dassault Aviation’s firm rejection of source code access effectively locks the Indian Navy’s Rafale M to French radar, electronic warfare, and weapons integration, ensuring that the integrity of the aircraft’s performance remains under the control of the manufacturer.
For India, this means that its carrier-borne strike capability will continue to rely heavily on external support for critical upgrades and sustainment, an uncomfortable prospect amid growing regional tensions and potential geopolitical flashpoints with China and Pakistan.
Still, industry experts expect Dassault to honour its offset obligations — at least 50% of the deal’s value — channeling substantial technology transfers, local training, and supply chain work to Indian partners under the broader Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
Beyond the Rafale M saga, the Uttam AESA programme remains a strategic beacon for India’s defence innovation, with the DRDO doubling down on future variants to power the next generation of Indian fighters and surveillance platforms.
Analysts caution, however, that Uttam must demonstrate real-world resilience against advanced electronic attack, spoofing, and cyber threats — a critical benchmark as electronic warfare becomes the decisive layer in modern air combat.
With a robust domestic AESA radar in play, India aims to fortify its entire kill chain — from airborne early warning and control to multi-domain command and control — ensuring that future airframes can share target data in real-time with AWACS, ground stations, and naval battle groups.
This ability is particularly vital for India’s two-front strategic posture, defending the icy Himalayan frontiers while projecting credible maritime power in the increasingly contested Indian Ocean Region.
As the Rafale M acquisition proceeds towards its first delivery by 2028, the question lingers: can India’s push for true defence self-reliance keep pace with its dependence on high-end foreign technologies?
For now, the Uttam AESA story stands as both a symbol of India’s remarkable progress in indigenous radar development and a cautionary tale of the geopolitical and industrial realities that still shape its frontline combat capabilities.