Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 28: President Droupadi Murmu will visit Ambala, Haryana on October 29, where she is scheduled to take a sortie in a Rafale fighter jet at the Ambala Air Force Station.
The President, who is also the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces, previously flew in a Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam on April 8, 2023. The Rafale has also been deployed during ‘Operation Sindoor’.
Meanwhile, Dassault Aviation of France is planning to establish a Rafale assembly line in India, targeting orders from both the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. If successful, India could become the first country to produce a 4.5 generation fighter aircraft without being an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).
Currently, Dassault has a backlog of nearly 200 Rafales, including pending deliveries for:
• UAE: 80
• Indonesia: 42
• Croatia: 12
• Egypt: 54
• Greece: 24
• Qatar: 36
• Potential Indian Navy order: 26
With existing production capacity limited to 24 aircraft per year, there is a strong case for an additional production line at Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) in India.
The Indian Air Force is expected to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for 114 fighter jets within the next six months, potentially one of the largest fighter orders globally. The Indian Navy is also expected to finalize an order for 26 aircraft, with deliveries starting in 2027.
The DRAL Rafale manufacturing line, to be located at the MIHAN Special Economic Zone, Nagpur, will include half a million square feet of infrastructure across four hangars, with production planned to begin in 2028. The annual production capacity is 24 aircraft per year (two per month). At an estimated Rs 1,000 crore per aircraft, this could translate into Rs 24,000 crore in annual sales, requiring an additional investment of around Rs 3,000 crore.
The assembly line is also expected to significantly boost employment, with more than 1,200 personnel projected to work on the Rafale final assembly line, compared to over 600 for the Falcon 2000 line.
This move underscores India’s growing role in fighter aircraft production and strategic self-reliance in defense manufacturing.