After MRO, Dassault plans to manufacture Rafale CKD at its DRAL facility in India.
France's Dassault will complete its Rafale fighter aircraft maintenance centre at its upcoming facility at Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) in Mihan SEZ in Nagpur by the end of 2022 or early 2023. The new facility will cater to the Indian Air Force and South Asian customers in the near future, but the groundwork is being laid that could lead to the assembly of Rafale jets in India to meet export demands, as the order book builds up after recent orders from the UAE and Indonesia.
Reliance Infrastructure is the majority shareholder in DRAL's 51:49 JV, but Dassault plans to obtain a 100% stake in DRAL before it can begin assembling Rafale jets in India. DRAL will be able to assemble two Rafale jets per month and 24 per year, which will match France's current production capacity. Most of the jets will be delivered as CKDs (Completely Knocked Down) and assembled in India.
Dassault already sources the Rafale's engine doors and pylons from India as part of its global supply chain for its global customers and other components will also be manufactured in India. Dassault has already offered to assemble the second batch of Rafale, if ordered by India, at the DRAL facility and is also ready to bid for the MRFA tender for 114 jets, which involves further technology transfer (ToT) and local sourcing.
While the assembly of Rafale in India is still under consideration, the French company Dassault has recently concluded numerous agreements for the supply of Rafale jets with many countries, and the DRAL facility in India will play a crucial role as part of its global supply chain and later also in the upgrade and service of these jets.