The French fighter jets headed to India will have critical components made in India at a facility located in Nagpur. According to the company officials, “Under the Make in India initiative, the Rafale engine doors are being manufactured in the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL). This is a 15000 square meters the facility in Nagpur. Also, the cockpit front section of the Falcon 2000 business jet is being manufactured at Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) facility at MIHAN, Nagpur.” Talks are going on with the French Dassault Aviation to gradually increase the number of parts for the fighter aircraft to be produced at the Nagpur facility. The doors being manufactured in India are expected to be fitted onboard the fighter jets heading to India.
The French Company has played a very significant role by helping India to set up a state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities which have cutting edge technologies.
The Nagpur facility of DRAL which was initially making only cockpits for the French manufacturer’s Falcon business jets, besides other parts, was inaugurated in October 2017, in the presence of Dassault CEO Eric Trappier and Anil Ambani.
Rafale Fighter Jets to arrive in May
As has been reported earlier, the first four fighter aircraft from France is expected to land in India in May and will subsequently, be inducted in the Indian Air Force and stationed at Ambala Air Force Station. India has placed an order for 36 Rafale fighter aircraft from the French Company Dassault Aviation.
The aircraft were handed over to the defence minister Rajnath Singh in October 2019.
The DRAL Facility is being expanded further which will have the capabilities to create an entire line of Falcon 2000 which will be fully manufactured and assembled in India.
Through the expansion of facilities, as well as efforts to make more parts in India, are in line with the company’s policy to help in building an Indian aerospace manufacturing eco-system for both the military and the civil aircraft and will position India in the global aerospace market.
“Future plans of the company are to not only manufacture but also to assemble the Rafale fighter aircraft in India and to also manufacture other parts of the aircraft for global customers” said a company official.
