“This is for the first time that Dassault Aviation will manufacture Falcon 2000 jets outside France, positioning India as a strategic global aviation hub. This is an epic moment for India as it joins the elite club of countries manufacturing next-generation business jets after the United States, France, Canada and Brazil,” Dassault Aviation said in a statement released at the Paris Air Show.
The Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) facility at Mihan, Nagpur, which is currently manufacturing fuselage parts and components for the global Falcon line will be expanded to a 400,000 sq feet complex where the jets will be produced, said people familiar with the matter.
An investment of close to ₹1,000 crore is expected to be made in expanding the facility that will have the capacity to roll out 22 executive jets annually. The actual number of aircraft produced will depend on global orders and Indian requirements.
As per DRAL’s earlier plans, the first of the Falcon 2000 business jets was to roll off the facility by 2022. The plans got derailed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which also had an impact on the global demand for civil jets, said the people.
Once completed, this will be the first production line in India to make civilian jets. At present, Tata makes the C 295 military transport aircraft in partnership with Airbus, while Hindustan Aeronautics Limited produces a range of aircraft including fighters and helicopters.DRAL will become the Centre of Excellence for the entire Falcon series, including Falcon 6X and Falcon 8X programmes that have largely civilian applications but can be adapted for military use as well. Eric Trappier, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, said that the agreement marks a ramp-up of DRAL, which was founded in 2017 and has been executing offset obligations for the Rafale fighter jet deal.As reported by ET in 2019, internal calculations by DRAL claimed that the Make in India project can have a $5 million cost advantage due to lower labour and production costs at Nagpur as compared to the current facility in France. A Falcon 2000LX sells for more than $35 million.
