Dassault Aviation will set up a military MRO capability in India to support combat aircraft in the country, joining other aerospace firms in beefing up their exposure to the country.
Dassault Aviation MRO India (DAMROI) will be a unit of Dassault Aviation, says the French company. DAMROI will be located in Noida, which lies just south of Delhi.
Source: Greg Waldron/FlightGlobal
The Mirage 2000 is still a key platform for the Indian air force
The company will support India’s fleet of Mirage 2000 fighters as well as other Dassault fighters in India – the Indian air force also operates 36 Rafales.
In July 2023, New Delhi’s Defence Acquisition Council also cleared the acquisition of 26 Rafale M fighters to serve aboard Indian navy aircraft carriers.
The company says that the move falls under the auspices of New Delhi’s efforts to bring more industrial work to the country.
Dassault’s announcement follows similar ones from other defence aerospace players, all of whom are eager to put work into India.
In early September, Lockheed Martin and Tata Advanced Systems expanded their relationship as the pair eye New Delhi’s Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) acquisition. An agreement between them will see the two companies collaborate on the establishment of a domestic MRO facility in India for the C-130J tactical transport.
Shortly before this, on 29 August, Tech Mahindra and Marshall of the UK signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly explore potential opportunities “across the aerospace and defence domains”.
The agreement covers areas including “aircraft design and manufacture, special mission platforms, and the development of digital maintenance, repair and overhaul technologies.”
And 13 August saw Air India Engineering Services (AIESL) entered an agreement with Boeing to provide local MRO support for the Indian navy’s P-8I Neptune maritime patrol aircraft.
Under the deal, AIESL will provide overhaul services for key components for the 12 aircraft in service with India’s navy.