New Delhi: Post Operation Sindoor where Indian Armed Forces launched a brutal attack on nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK there has been a lot of discussion around the term source code—specifically. According to the reports India had requested the source code from France to integrate its own missiles into the Rafale jets but France refused to provide it. This raises the question: What exactly is a source code? What is a Source Code? The source code of a fighter jet refers to its computer programming. This code functions like a set of instructions for the aircraft. It controls the jet’s sensitive operations and functions. In other words if any modifications are needed in the radar system of the fighter jet or if a new weapon needs to be integrated it can only be done through the source code. Without access to the source code it is not possible to equip the fighter jet with missiles or other weapons nor can the jet be upgraded. All such changes and upgrades require the source code of the fighter plane. French company Dassault Aviation has manufactured the Rafale fighter jet. At Indias request it integrated Indian weapons such as the Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile Astra Mark-1 and the Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW) into the Rafale. However if India wishes to equip the Rafale with any new weapon during a mission or operation it is not possible without external assistance. Due to the lack of access to the source code only Dassault can add or configure weapons on the Rafale. India cannot independently install or modify any weapons on the aircraft. IAF Has Been Flying Mirage-2000 Since the 1980s France is considered a very close and supportive ally of India. It has consistently stood by India during times of crisis. Defense ties between the two nations go back a long way—so why is this happening now? It’s true that India and France have shared decades of defense cooperation. The entire fleet of Mirage-2000 fighter jets in the Indian Air Force came from France. India purchased these jets in the 1980s and the defense partnership between the two countries has continued ever since. What’s surprising however is that despite the Indian Air Force flying the Mirage for over four decades France has never provided the source code for the aircraft. As a result India has only been able to integrate a very limited number of indigenous weapons into the Mirage.