Reliance Infrastructure, helmed by Anil Ambani, has announced a significant collaboration between its subsidiary Reliance Aerostructure Limited and French aerospace giant Dassault Aviation to produce Falcon-2000 business aircraft in India.
This agreement, announced at the Paris Air Show, marks the first time Dassault would construct its Falcon aircraft outside of France, placing India among the United States, France, Canada, and Brazil as one of the few countries producing business jets for global markets.
Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL), a joint venture, will build a cutting-edge final assembly plant for the Falcon-2000 jets in Nagpur, Maharashtra. This facility will serve as a global center of excellence for the Falcon series, as well as assist future assembly programs for the Falcon-6X and Falcon-8X planes. The first ‘Made in India’ Falcon-2000 jet is set to take flight in 2028, serving to both corporate and military users in domestic and international markets.
The cooperation calls for the transfer of critical production processes to DRAL, including as the assembly of the Falcon-2000 fuselage, wings, and front section, as well as front fuselage work for the Falcon-8X and Falcon-6X. Dassault also intends to update the Nagpur site to enable these advanced assembly lines, which will greatly expand DRAL’s capabilities and necessitate the hiring of several hundred engineers and technicians over the next decade.
This approach is consistent with the Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-Reliant India) efforts, which seek to enhance local aerospace manufacture and defense exports. Reliance Infrastructure’s share price rose 5% to ₹386.05 on the BSE following the announcement.
DRAL, founded in 2017, has already produced more than 100 significant Falcon-2000 sub-sections from its Nagpur location. The new assembly line represents a significant step forward in India’s aerospace ecosystem, cementing its position as a critical hub for high-end business jet manufacture.
Both Anil D Ambani and Dassault CEO Eric Trappier stressed that this collaboration demonstrates Dassault’s commitment to ‘Make in India’ and represents a common strategic vision for the future of Indian aerospace.
Reliance Defence, a subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure, recently signed a ₹10,000 crore agreement with Germany’s Diehl Defence for the local production of Vulcano 155mm precision-guided munitions. This highlights the group’s focus on advanced defense manufacturing in India.
The Reliance-Dassault alliance is a game changer for Indian aerospace, promising technology transfer, job creation, and boosting India’s goals as a global participant in civil and defense aviation manufacture.
