I must say I find cokecan's points persuasive because they are clearly based on well known facts.
If that was the case then Typhoon would have never made the ultimate competitive downselect. It succeeded where many platforms failed
A tad naive. I fear that any self respecting customer will always try and keep pressure on their 'chosen' supplier by suggesting there exists a credible alternative. The Indians could have used any of the original list for that but how much better to keep the Rafale team honest by choosing another European supplier with whom there was some history?