Anil Ambani led Reliance Infrastructure, made significant strategic partnerships in the month of June, aiming to become one of India’s top three defence exporters and a pivotal player in the global defence supply chain. The company highlights that the deals also boost India’s Make in India initiative.
Following these deals, the share price of Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure surged almost 11 per cent between June 2 and July 2. Investors have started showing renewed interest in the stock, which had once lost market confidence.
Here’s a look at the key defence partnerships and announcements made by the group last month.
Rs 5,000 crore push for aircraft upgrades
On June 8, Reliance Infrastructure announced a ₹5,000 crore investment to ramp up its defence aircraft upgrade capabilities over the next 7–10 years.
The company has already upgraded 55 Dornier-228 aircraft for the Indian Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard under a ₹350 crore contract led by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in collaboration with US-based Genesys. With this, Reliance became the first private Indian firm to execute complete military aircraft upgrades without original equipment manufacturer (OEM) support.
Looking ahead, the company plans to partner with global players to expand its role in aircraft maintenance and logistics, including handling performance-based logistics for Rafale fighter jets in collaboration with French firm Thales.
Reliance and Diehl join hands for precision munitions
On June 10, Reliance Defence, promoted by Reliance Infrastructure, and Germany-based Diehl Defence announced plans to expand their strategic partnership for the supply of precision-guided munitions to the Indian Armed Forces. The partnership will focus on the Vulcano 155mm system and builds on a 2019 cooperation agreement between the two companies.
50 per cent of the content is planned to be manufactured in India. Reliance will take the lead as the prime contractor, while Diehl will continue as a key strategic partner.
To support this initiative, Reliance is also setting up a new greenfield manufacturing facility in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. Once operational, the plant will be able to produce up to 200,000 artillery shells each year, along with 10,000 tonnes of explosives and 2,000 tonnes of propellant.
Falcon 2000 jets to be assembled in Nagpur
On June 18, Reliance Infrastructure and Dassault Aviation announced plans to assemble the Falcon 2000 business jet in Nagpur. This marks the first time Dassault is moving final assembly of the Falcon 2000 outside France.
The work will be carried out through their joint venture, Dassault Reliance Aerospace (DRAL), at the MIHAN SEZ facility. DRAL will also manufacture fuselage and wing assemblies for the Falcon 6X and 8X variants, and will evolve into a Centre of Excellence for the Falcon series.
The first ‘Made-in-India’ Falcon jet is expected by 2028. This project is seen as a major step for India’s aerospace sector, placing the country alongside key global aviation manufacturing hubs like the US, Canada, and Brazil.
Strategic MRO partnership with Coastal Mechanics
On June 30, Reliance Defence entered into a partnership with US-based Coastal Mechanics Inc. (CMI), a contractor authorised by the US Department of Defense. The aim is to tap into India’s Rs 20,000 crore market for defence Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services.
The collaboration will offer comprehensive MRO and upgrade services for Indian Air Force’s Jaguar and MiG-29 fighter jets, Apache helicopters, and legacy systems like L-70 air defence guns.
A joint venture will be formed at the MIHAN hub in Nagpur to support both Indian and global defence clients with end-to-end solutions for air and land platforms.
Indigenous development of 155mm artillery shells
Reliance Infrastructure has already achieved a major milestone by designing and developing four types of advanced 155 mm artillery shells in collaboration with DRDO’s Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune.
The project was undertaken under the Design-cum-Production Partner programme, making Reliance the first Indian private company to achieve this with fully indigenous technology. The company has roped in 10 Indian vendors for the supply chain, and is ready to begin production.
Reliance Group is targeting Rs 20,000 crore in defence and export orders
Anil Ambani led Reliance group is targeting defence orders worth Rs 10,000 crore from India’s Ministry of Defence over the next 10 years and expects to match that with Rs 10,000 crore in export revenues.
As part of this plan, it is investing ₹5,000 crore in a greenfield ammunition and explosives plant at the Dhirubhai Ambani Defence City in Ratnagiri, which will produce 200,000 artillery shells annually.
With these bold moves, Reliance aims to place itself among India’s top three defence exporters and become a key player in the global supply chain.