NEW DELHI: French aerospace major Dassault Aviation has tied up with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) to manufacture fuselage of Rafale fighters at Hyderabad, as part of the overall Rs 63,887 crore (almost ₹7 billion) deal inked by India in April to acquire 26 maritime variants of the omni-role jets. The inter-governmental deal, under which the 26 Rafale-M jets will be delivered in the 2028-2030 timeframe, had included the setting up of a production facility for fuselages as well as MRO facilities for aircraft engines, sensors and weapons in India.Hyderabad unit to manufacture ‘key structural sections’ of Rafale With the IAF first inducting 36 Rafales for Rs 59,000 crore and then the 26 Rafale-M jets for the Navy, the French fighter is the frontrunner in the long-pending project to manufacture 114 multi-role fighter aircraft with foreign collaboration in India, which was initially estimated to cost Rs 1.25 lakh crore and is now being fast-tracked, as reported by TOI earlier.Under the four production transfer agreements between Dassault Aviation and TASL, the Hyderabad facility will manufacture “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 for India and global markets.“The first fuselage sections are expected to roll out in FY 2028, with the facility expected to deliver up to two complete fuselages per month,” a joint Dassault-TASL statement said on Thursday.“For the first time, Rafale fuselages will be produced outside France. 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,” Dassault chairman Eric Trappier said.TASL CEO Sukaran Singh, in turn, said, “This partnership marks a significant step in India’s aerospace journey. It also reflects the remarkable progress India has made in establishing a modern, robust aerospace manufacturing ecosystem that can support global platforms.” A joint venture between Boeing and TASL in Hyderabad, incidentally, also manufactures the fuselage for the Apache attack helicopters ordered by India from the US.
