what does that even mean when you say we dont need rights but approval? You dont need any rights to develop a weaponpod, but you need rights to integrate them onto a platform that is developed by them. You need rights to make any aerodynamic changes whether that is strengthening of pylon to carry Brahmos, adding weapon bay or fuel tanks.
Weapon pods as mentioned are not part of the fighter, but external payloads, that's why they don't create any aerodynamic changes to the fighter itself. We could develop them and even flight test them fitted on MKI, whithout an apporval of Russia, just like we flight tested Astra missiles. The point where Russia comes into play is, when we need to modify the fighter or certain techs, for example integrating the missile to the radar for launch tests, or if certain wireings, or software changes are need, or in case of Brahmos, if the weight limits of the harpoints needs to be changed, by modifing the airframe in that area...
But a weapon pod is not that heavy and the only integration that might be needed comes, when we would test a fully developed version, that can open it's doors and launch weapons. To make the pilot able to do so, changes of the fighters are needed and that would be done with the Russians.
And How does it help an OEM if their user is able to make future upgrades on its own without any help from the OEM?
These are modifications, not fully fleged upgrades, which include overhaul of the airframe, engine changes... and as you know, we even do most of the overhauling part of especially Russian fighters in India now as well, so that won't be an issue in future either. Just like the addition and integration of Sudarshan LGB will be done in India and not in Russia.
The OEM benefits from mdoifications, because it makes the fighter itself more capable and more interesting for export customers.
India for example funded the final integration of canards and TVC to the SU 30MK, which then resulted in high interest of this version on the export market. India beeing able to do parts of the maintenance for Russian fighters is a benefit for Asian customers like Malaysia, just like future Indian weapons would be offered to these export customers as alternatives to the Russian weapon.
And that fully developed weaponpods would increase the capability of the Flanker dramatically should be a no brainer, be it for any export customer for Su 30s, or even for Russian forces itself as explained earlier, but since you don't want to look at it in an unbiased way, it is not surprising that you don't want to understand it.
