With India and France finalising the Rafale fighter jet deal, it has emerged that 96 aircraft will be assembled at the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) facility in MIHAN, Nagpur.
Under the agreement, French aerospace major Dassault Aviation will supply a total of 114 aircraft to the Indian Air Force. Of these, 18 jets will be delivered in flyaway condition, while the remaining 96 will be manufactured in India. The aircraft produced domestically are expected to have up to 60% indigenous content. The proposed project is estimated to cost around ₹3.25 lakh crore and could be signed during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India next month. If the deal is concluded in early 2026, deliveries of the first 18 flyaway jets are likely to begin from 2030.
Sources indicate that the Anil Ambani group may exit the venture by selling its stake to another promoter. The DRAL Nagpur facility is currently a subsidiary of the joint venture, in which Dassault Aviation holds a 51% stake, while Anil Ambani’s company owns the remaining 49%.
It may be recalled that India purchased 36 Rafale jets from France following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit in 2015. Last year, India also placed an order for 26 Rafale Marine aircraft for the Navy. With the setting up of a full-fledged assembly unit in Nagpur, the facility is set to become Dassault Aviation’s largest manufacturing hub outside France.
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