Defence Sector Gets A Boost Under Make In India With Dassault Reliance Aerospace Manufacturing Unit In Nagpur

Eric Trappier, Chairman of Dassault Aviation and Anil Ambani, Chairman of the Reliance Group on Friday laid the Foundation Stone for the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) manufacturing facility in Mihan, Nagpur.

The Dassault-Reliance manufacturing facility – Dhirubhai Ambani Aerospace Park – is located in the Mihan Special Economic Zone (SEZ) adjacent to the Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport.

DRAL – of which 51 per cent is owned by Reliance Aerostructure and 49 per cent by Dassault Aviation – will manufacture several components of the offset obligation connected to the purchase of 36 Rafale Fighters from France, signed between the two Governments in September 2016.

“This Foundation Stone laying demonstrates Dassault’s firm commitment to implementing Prime Minister Modi’s “Make in India” program. It gives the 65 year-long strong association of Dassault-Aviation in India a new momentum and the will of future manufacturing developments,” said Dassault Aviation Chairman, Eric Trappier.

“This facility in Mihan, Nagpur within the Aerospace Park named after my Late Father Dhirubhai Ambani could not have happened without the strong and consistent support of Nitin Gadkari and Devendra Fadnavis. The Reliance Dassault partnership will bring high levels of Technology Transfer. It will make India a major supplier into the global aviation supply chain. It will be the endeavor of both Dassault and Reliance to fully support Prime Minister Modi’s “Make in India” and “Skill India” policies and to accelerate India’s pursuit of self sufficiency in the aerospace sector,” Anil Ambani said.

DRAL will manufacture components for the Legacy Falcon 2000 Series of Civil Jets manufactured by Dassault Aviation and thus will become part of its Global Supply Chain. These first steps are expected to achieve in the coming years, the possible setting up of final assembly of Rafale and Falcon Aircraft.

The Joint Venture also represents a unequalled Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by Dassault Aviation of over 100 Million Euros, the largest such defence FDI in a single location in India.

The DRAL facility will train thousands of skilled workers in aviation assembly and integration, and lead to huge employment generation in Nagpur and its surrounding areas. It will also attract and house an organic ecosystem of over 200 Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to secure the components and avionics manufacturing needs of Rafale and Falcon Jets.

The Foundation stone was laid in the presence of French Minister of Armed Forces Florence Parly, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari – who represents Nagpur in the Lok Sabha – Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis – who represents Nagpur in the Vidhan Sabha – and Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France to India.

With over 10,000 military and civil aircraft delivered in more than 90 countries over the last century, Dassault Aviation has built up expertise recognized worldwide in the design, development, sale and support of all types of aircraft, ranging from the Rafale fighter, to the high-end Falcon family of business jets and military drones. In 2016, Dassault Aviation reported revenues of €3.6 billion. The company has 12,000 employees.

Reliance Group, led by Chairman Anil D. Ambani entered the Indian Defence manufacturing sector in January 2015 when it acquired a state-of-the-art naval shipyard. The group is rapidly developing its Air, Land and Sea Defence manufacturing capabilities in collaboration with leading global defence firms. The Group has over 250 million customers, serving 1 in every 5 Indians, and over 8 million shareholders, amongst the largest shareholder families in the world.

The net worth of the Group is Rs 100,000 Crore (US $ 16 billion), and the total asset base is Rs 267,000 Crore (US $ 43 billion). It is an equal opportunity employer with 100,000 strong, highly competent workforce comprising different nationalities.

This article was originally published on Defence Aviation Post and has been republished here with permission.