Rafale International consisting of Dassault Aviation, Safran and Thales have met more than 100 French SMEs in two-days Business to Business events. These events held with Indian officials took place in Paris on the 19th of September along with the GIFAS, the French Aerospace Industries Association, and on the 21st in Bordeaux, under the patronage of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regional Council (Conseil régional de Nouvelle-Aquitaine).
BPI France and French MOD (Direction Générale de l’Armement) took part to both events. On these occasions, Rafale International and their partners presented their vision on how best to contribute to the Make in India policy and highlighted opportunities arising for French SMEs to invest and set up production activities in India alongside Dassault Aviation, Safran and Thales in the frame the Rafale offset program.
The Indian Embassy representatives emphasized the critical importance of the Make in India policy and the foreign investment policy for the Indian aerospace and defense sectors and attended both networking B2B lunches in Paris and in Bordeaux to answer questions from participating companies.
Under the “Make in India” initiative, these seminars have presented business opportunities aimed at enhancing the ties between the French and the Indian Aerospace communities in order to define cooperation domains between both industries and pave the way towards building up an aerodefence manufacturing eco-system in India, matching the highest standards in this field.
The technological know-how and competences of Dassault Aviation and its partners confirmed by the success of the Rafale Aircraft, will benefit to French partners having the capacity to reinforce their expertise in developing and manufacturing defense platforms and systems for the profit of both French and Indian Aerospace and Defense Industries.
“Encouraging and supporting French SMEs to come to India is a key condition to participate to the success of the “Make in India” initiative of Prime Minister Modi and will benefit both French and Indian Industries. Creating new opportunities of collaboration and work towards establishing a full-fledged aero-defense manufacturing eco-system in India will highly contribute to reinforce Indo French cooperation for SMEs of the aerospace and defense sector and will pave the way for the French SMEs and Indian SMEs to benefit Dassault Aviation, Safran and Thales products and technologies portfolios opening worldwide market,” declared Eric Trappier, Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO and GIFAS Chairman.
“This seminar matches the regional politic for the development of the priority sectors, and more specifically the Aeronautics, Defense and Space roadmap. The strategic axe of this roadmap is due to facilitate the access to new international markets and export for the industrials of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region” stated Alain Rousset, President of the Regional Council of Nouvelle- Aquitaine.
Dassault Aviation aircraft have been an integral part of Indian defense forces for over six decades. The first Dassault Aviation aircraft, Toofani was supplied to India in 1953, followed by the Mystere IV, the naval Alize, the Jaguar (manufactured under license by HAL), and the Mirage 2000. These aircraft have contributed to Indian sovereignty all along and the Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft continues to be the IAF’s ‘cutting edge’ till date. 36 Rafales fighter aircraft has been acquired on September 23rd 2016 to equip the Indian Air Force.
Rafale International is a Joint-venture (G.I.E Groupement d'Intérêt Economique) set up by Dassault Aviation, Safran Group and Thales to promote the Rafale fighter aircraft to international customers. The three partners are major international leaders in the aerospace and defense fields with more than 135 000 employees and a turnover of 28Bn Euros.
GIFAS, the French aerospace industries association, is a trade organization gathering 382 members, from major prime contractors and system suppliers to small specialist companies. They cover the full spectrum of skills from the design, development and production of aerospace systems and equipment to maintenance and operation. Activities extend from civil and military aircraft and helicopters to engines, missiles, UAV, spacecraft and launch vehicles, plus major systems, equipment, subassemblies, associated software, defense and security electronics systems.
GIFAS represents a sector with a turnover of €60.4bn and generates a trade surplus (€18.6bn in 2016). This industry of excellence and innovation exports 86% of its production; it ploughs the equivalent of 14% of its revenues back into R&D.
GIFAS members employ 187,000 people and recruited 10,000 in France in 2016.
The Aeronautics and Defense Industry being a major sector for the economy of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regional Council rallies in order to develop research and development activities of the sector, to reinforce subcontracting SMEs and to promote the diversification and the duality of their activities.
