Interesting read on MMRCA
http://www.stratpost.com/french-drive-hard-bargain-on-indian-mmrca-report
The article makes a lot of assumptions which are partially correct. One of them being with regards to aesa radars. If you look at the progress which Indian companies have made in aesa module production, partly due to license producing them under offsets, partly due to corporation with various DRDO labs like GAETEC, LRDE and CABS, it would seem hard to believe that by the time Rafale aesa radar comes up for production, they will not be competent enough. Four or five years ago, there was close to nothing, today the following companies are delivering aesa tr modules :
1. Astra microwave : S-band modules for El-2084 MPR and LRDE aew&c array, LRDE L-star and Thales GS-100 LLTR (unconfirmed), X-band modules for Tejas mmr, L-Band modules for BMD radars (unconfirmed), Components for SAR for RISAT
2. HELA, a JV between Elta and Tata advanced systems: S-Band modules for El-2084 MPR
3. Data Patterns : S-band modules for EL-2084 MPR and Thales GS100 LLTR (unconfirmed), S-Band modules for LRDE LLTR (ashwini) (Unconfirmed)
4. Alpha systems : Have a JV in place with Elttronica for supply of TR modules, also starting supplies for EL-2084 MPR
5. BEL:- Coming up with its own bulk manufacturing facility
This is not even accounting for LRDE Arudra and Aslesha. Apart from these there are half a dozen other companies which are entering the fray. Agreed that the quantity that any of these can produce today pales in comparison to what other western companies can make, but judging by the progress made by this sector in the last few years it would be naive to assume that neither of these companies would be able to absorb offsets from thales for aesa modules.
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