3 days ago
Rafale fuselage to be made in India for the first time
The main body of future Rafale fighter jets will be produced in India, outside France for the first time, with French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) on Thursday announcing their partnership to build Rafale fuselage at a facility being set up in Hyderabad, in a move that is seen as a big leap for the government's wide-ranging Make-in-India initiative.
The Hyderabad facility will supply the fuselages for India and other international markets 2028 onwards, the two firms said. Some of the 26 Rafale Marine fighters ordered by India for its navy will come with locally produced fuselages, people aware of the matter said.
Dassault Aviation and TASL have signed four production transfer agreements to manufacture the Rafale fuselage in India and called it a significant step forward in strengthening the country's aerospace manufacturing capabilities and supporting global supply chains.
'Under the scope of the partnership, TASL will set up a cutting-edge production facility in Hyderabad for the manufacture of key structural sections of the Rafale, including the lateral shells of the rear fuselage, the complete rear section, the central fuselage, and the front section,' the two firms said in a joint statement issued in Saint-Cloud and Mumbai.
The announcement comes weeks after India signed a ₹63,000-crore deal with France to buy 26 Rafale M aircraft for the navy which will operate them from its two aircraft carriers, with the deliveries expected to begin in three years and be completed by 2030.
The April 28 government-to-government deal for 22 single-seat Rafale M fighters and four twin-seat trainers included the setting up of a local production facility for the jet's fuselage as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities for engines, sensors and weapons in India.
The Hyderabad facility represents a significant investment in India's aerospace infrastructure and will serve as a critical hub for high-precision manufacturing, the statement said.
The first fuselage sections are expected to roll off the assembly line in 2028, with the facility expected to deliver up to two complete fuselages every month.
'For the first time, Rafale fuselages will be produced outside France,' Dassault Aviation chairman Eric Trappier said. 'This is a decisive step in strengthening our supply chain in India. Thanks to the expansion of our local partners, including TASL, this supply chain will contribute to the successful ramp-up of the Rafale and, with our support, will meet our quality and competitiveness requirements.'
The development comes at a critical moment as the Indian Air Force (IAF) is scouting for 114 multi-role fighter aircraft to boost its capabilities, and the programme will involve a global plane maker setting up a production agency in the country along with an Indian partner. Dassault Aviation is among the foreign firms interested in that programme.
In February, the chief of the air staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said such a model will give the air force an alternative option for any future design, including a stealth fighter, rather than depending only on the capabilities of state-run plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The IAF operates 36 Rafale jets bought from France at a cost of ₹59,000 crore, and the aircraft's naval variant will bring commonality with the air force's fighters, creating advantages in training, maintenance and logistics support. Some of the air force's Rafales were among the fighter jets used during Operation Sindoor --- India's strikes on terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack.
This partnership marks a significant step in India's aerospace journey, TASL CEO Sukaran Singh said.
'The production of the complete Rafale fuselage in India underscores the deepening trust in TASL's capabilities and the strength of our collaboration with Dassault Aviation. It also reflects the remarkable progress India has made in establishing a modern, robust aerospace manufacturing ecosystem that can support global platforms.'
This is the way forward for the local aerospace manufacturing sector, said Air Vice Marshal Anil Golani (retd), the director general of Centre for Air Power Studies, an influential think tank. 'We couldn't have asked for a better opportunity to manufacture not just fuselages but entire fighter airframes in the future.'
TASL is swiftly expanding its footprint in the aerospace manufacturing sector.
TASL and European firm Airbus Defence and Space are jointly executing a ₹21,935-crore project to equip the IAF with 56 C-295 aircraft to modernise its transport fleet, including 16 in fly-away condition. The first made-in-India C-295 will roll out of a facility in Vadodara in September 2026 and the remaining 39 by August 2031.
US aerospace firm Lockheed Martin is partnering with TASL to bid for the IAF's medium transport aircraft (MTA) competition for up to 80 planes. The joint venture Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited (TBAL) is producing Apache attack helicopter fuselages in Hyderabad. And Airbus Helicopters is setting up a production line in India for H125 helicopters in partnership with TASL --- the fourth such facility in the world.
