Fuselages for Rafales

Manufacturing for global OEMs will help strengthen the local ecosystem

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ATA ADVANCED SYSTEMS Limited’s (TASL) contract from Dassault Aviation to build fuselages for the Rafale fighter jet exemplifies the progress India has made in establishing a modern aerospace manufacturing ecosystem. Catering to the demanding requirements of global original equipment manufacturers (OEM) in the defence space is a harbinger of possibilities in the not-so-distant future of domestically assembling fighter aircraft. Rafales are almost entirely manufactured in France, barring some non-sensitive imported components. Five components are sourced from Dassault Reliance Aerospace as part of offset obligations when India bought 36 Rafale jets through an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) with France nine years ago. In April, another IGA was inked to procure 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets—one of the costliest-ever defence deals—that will operate from the Indian Navy’s two aircraft carriers. This is the first time that Rafale fuselages—which is the main body or trunk of an aircraft—will be produced outside France and is intended both for the domestic and g