Dassault Aviation is set to expand its presence in India by opening a new maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility near the upcoming Delhi Noida International Airport, also known as Jewar International Airport. This facility will focus on servicing Rafale and Mirage 2000 fighter jets.
With this new site, the Indian armed forces will be able to maintain their Rafale and Mirage 2000 fleets domestically. Currently, India operates 36 Rafale jets and 52 Mirage 2000s. Additionally, the Indian Navy is in discussions with Dassault about acquiring 26 Rafale Marine aircraft.
Interestingly, Dassault will not collaborate with Reliance Defence for this project, even though they share a joint venture called Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited, which produces parts for Rafale jets and Falcon business aircraft in Nagpur.
Reports indicate that the new facility will also serve the Indonesian market, which has 42 Rafale fighters and the option to purchase more. Dassault is currently in the process of acquiring land near the airport for this purpose.
Additionally, Safran is planning to establish a maintenance facility in Hyderabad to service the Snecma M-88 engines used in Rafale jets. The company is also discussing a partnership with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to design and produce a turboshaft engine for HAL’s Multi Role Helicopter and Deck-Based Multi Role Helicopter.
(The author of this article is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: girishlinganna@gmail.com)
(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own and do not reflect those of DNA)
