Eric Trappier, Chairman of Dassault Aviation and Anil D. Ambani, Chairman of the Reliance Group laid the Foundation Stone for the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited manufacturing facility in Mihan, Nagpur located in India’s western state of Maharashtra.
The Foundation Stone was laid on 27 October 2017 in the presence of Ms. Florence Parly, Minister of Armed Forces of the French Republic; Shri. Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways of India, who is also the Member of Parliament of the city of Nagpur; and Shri. Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of the State of Maharashtra; and H.E. Mr. Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France to India. Also present were over 200 dignitaries from the State and City administration and local industry.
The Dassault-Reliance manufacturing facility Dhirubhai Ambani Technology Park is located in the Mihan SEZ adjoining Nagpur International Airport. Under this Joint Venture (51% Reliance Infrastructure and 49% Dassault Aviation) the facility 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.
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 Defense FDI in one 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 MSME’s to secure the component and avionics manufacturing needs of Rafale and Falcon Jets.
Dassault Aviation Chairman, Mr. Eric Trappier, declared that “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.”
Reliance Group Chairman, Anil D. Ambani, stated “this facility in Mihan, Nagpur within the Aerospace Park named after my Late Father Shri. Dhirubhai Ambani could not have happened without the strong and consistent support of Shri. Nitin Gadkari and Shri. 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.”
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 Sh. Anil D. Ambani, is among India’s top 5 business houses, with a leadership position in telecommunications, power, infrastructure, financial services, and media and entertainment. In January 2015, the Group entered the Indian Defense manufacturing sector, acquired a state-of-the-art Naval Shipyard, and is rapidly developing its Air, Land and Sea Defense manufacturing capabilities in collaboration with leading global defense 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. Its net worth 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.
