Dassault Explores Rafale Assembly Line in India to Meet Surging Global Demand, Boosting Rafale's Chances for MRFA Tender

French aerospace company Dassault Aviation is considering setting up a final assembly line (FAL) for its Rafale fighter jets in India, a move that could significantly impact India's defense manufacturing capabilities.

This development, initially reported by the French publication L'Usine Nouvelle, comes in response to growing international demand for the Rafale and anticipated large-scale orders from India.

Dassault Aviation's CEO, Éric Trappier, indicated that the potential assembly line is a strategic response to India's plans for substantial defense acquisitions. He stated that India is planning large orders, and establishing a local assembly line could help manage this increased production demand.

The Rafale, a 4.5-generation multirole fighter aircraft, is known for its adaptability and sophisticated electronic systems. Dassault has previously supplied 36 Rafales to India under a 2016 contract valued at approximately €7.87 billion (around $9.4 billion), with all deliveries completed by 2022.

Currently, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is considering further acquisitions to address a significant operational deficit. The Indian Air Force is currently short of its requirement. Concurrently, the Indian Navy is nearing the completion of a deal to acquire 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets for deployment on the INS Vikrant aircraft carrier.

These potential Indian orders, combined with existing contracts from countries like Egypt, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, are prompting Dassault to increase production beyond its current capabilities. The Mérignac facility in France Currently, Produces one to two aircraft per month.

Creating a final assembly line in India offers a practical solution to these manufacturing pressures. Dassault has already established a presence in India through the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) joint venture, located in Nagpur. This facility currently manufactures parts for the Rafale, such as sections of the fuselage and wings.

A full assembly line would represent a major expansion of this partnership, potentially involving the assembly of complete aircraft from kits imported from France. This model is similar to how Lockheed Martin operates F-16 production lines in countries like Turkey and South Korea.

This initiative presents both economic and strategic advantages. If the Indian Air Force selects the Rafale for its Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) tender, which calls for 114 jets, India's potential orders could surpass 100 additional aircraft. Local assembly could lead to cost savings, leveraging India's comparatively lower labor costs.

Furthermore, Indian Labor rates are 20-30% of European levels. It would also help avoid supply chain issues affecting Europe, including shortages of materials like titanium and electronic components. For India, it offers the benefits of job creation, technology transfer, and a strengthened defense industrial base. This is particularly crucial as the IAF aims to reach 450 jets by 2040, all while the ageing MiG-21s and Jaguars being phased out of service.

Dassault's pre-existing support network in India, including maintenance facilities and a spare parts supply chain, would facilitate the operation of a new assembly line. The company's previous successful navigation of India's complex procurement procedures in the 2016 deal also gives it an advantage over competitors in the MRFA competition, such as Boeing's F/A-18 or Russia's Su-35. The IAF's existing operational experience with the Rafale further strengthens Dassault's position.

Increasing production, however, presents challenges. Dassault aims to increase the output of its Mérignac plant to three Rafales per month by 2026, but ongoing supply chain difficulties, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and sanctions against Russia, remain a concern.

Furthermore, establishing an Indian assembly line, with an estimated cost of $500-700 million, would require a significant investment and take an estimated three to five years to become fully operational. This process would involve training skilled workers and obtaining necessary regulatory clearances. According to industry analysis, establishing a new assembly line involves several phases: site selection, infrastructure development, workforce training, technology transfer, and certification.

 

[P2S2]

Excellent. Super Rafale provides alternatives for world security. India needs to assist France in its endeavours to provide security in the Indo Pacific and the Atlantic.We have French heritage as well.

 

[sanket]

Good, but with a local private player. & The most important thing will be a complete eco-system in Bharat, whether it is for engines or fighter jets. Starting a final assembly line based on kits supplied from France is not going to help Dassault win the MRFA. Mark my word. Second, buying DRAL's entire stake too, is not going to help Dassault. It needs to start a final assembly line with a local private player, & I am saying this for several times. Yesterday too, I highlighted when a Belgium firm expressed to start manufacturing turrets in a 60:40 partnership in Bharat. Even the S-400 is likely to be offered under ToT.

 

[Neal.B]

There is no point in buying Rafale now. We will get all squadrons after 2034, when our own, much more advanced AMCA and Tejas Mk2 will be flying.

 

[Kira]

Way too costly and not as technologically advanced as some options on the table like the F-35.

 

[Dredd]

If Dassault had set up an assembly line in 2018 with Reliance, they wouldn't even have had to compete for MRFA, and the government would have simply given orders for 100s of Rafales. The greed of the French is infinite. They only want your money, be it India as a customer or their pseudo-colonies in Africa.

 

[Akshat]

If Dassault had set up an assembly line in 2018 with Reliance, they wouldn't even have had to compete for MRFA, and the government would have simply given orders for 100s of Rafales. The greed of the French is infinite. They only want your money, be it India as a customer or their pseudo-colonies in Africa.

They are greedy, and yet they are always L1. Interesting.

 

[Akshat]

There is no point in buying Rafale now. We will get all squadrons after 2034, when our own, much more advanced AMCA and Tejas Mk2 will be flying.

They might have had their first flights by then. But you can't fight with those prototypes, can you? Actual combat ready jets won't come till at least 2040 if HAL and ADA develops them.

 

[Akshat]

Way too costly and not as technologically advanced as some options on the table like the F-35.

Well apart from F35, there is no plane right now that has beaten Rafale head on in any competition. And as for the price, it is always L1, ain't it?

 

[kumar]

FAL is not even built to print, but to assemble the semi-knocked-down kits. If this is what France wants to do, then there is no use placing the MRFA order, and the first aircraft will only come after 2032 due to the current order backlog and the need for setting up new infrastructure. And anyways, if they are not ready to part with the source code and want to charge an arm and a leg for every new integration, then it is not worthwhile investing. Also, their radar roadmap is not encouraging, to say the least, and will be obsolete when they arrive post-2030.

 

[Akshat]

FAL is not even built to print, but to assemble the semi-knocked-down kits. If this is what France wants to do, then there is no use placing the MRFA order, and the first aircraft will only come after 2032 due to the current order backlog and the need for setting up new infrastructure. And anyways, if they are not ready to part with the source code and want to charge an arm and a leg for every new integration, then it is not worthwhile investing. Also, their radar roadmap is not encouraging, to say the least, and will be obsolete when they arrive post-2030.

Despite the current backlog Dassault has spare production capacity. Dassault maintains that the first plane can come within 3 years after the deal is signed.

As for radar roadmap and the products themselves, right now no one has a better option apart from US. Even the typhoon consortium itself believes that they can't best Rafale's radars till at least 2030, if not more.

 

[Vipul Kumar]

Well apart from F35, there is no plane right now that has beaten Rafale head on in any competition. And as for the price, it is always L1, ain't it?

Go for Su57 no other options now.

 

[Akshat]

Go for Su57 no other options now.

Su57 isn't even an option. IAF refused to buy it even after spending 100s of millions of dollars on it and instead opted to go ahead with MRFA (which also got stuck, admittedly). Even Russia has cancelled it's orders by 70% and ordered more of Su35 (and that was well before the Ukraine war so don't give the excuse of budget or war) and China also checked it and refused to buy any, even for reverse engineering, telling the Russians that J20 is far superior. So no, Su 57 isn't an option at all.

 

[Vipul Kumar]

They are greedy, and yet they are always L1. Interesting.

They are not look how they lost to Germany in submarine deal of p75 even spanish were among final shortlisted ones. And dont worry france wont be selected for amca engine.

 

[Sandeep]

Their plans are no longer feasible as by the time they even build a factory orders from HAL would start arriving. It will also be very expensive to set up, we won’t receive any critical technology or be allowed to manufacture the critical equipment or most of the jet in India.

Also if they allow the private sector companies to start producing the Tejas MK1A and MK2 jets then there won’t be an urgent need for the Rafale jets.

 

[Kira]

Well apart from F35, there is no plane right now that has beaten Rafale head on in any competition. And as for the price, it is always L1, ain't it?

Yes, EFT was costlier and still is, so between the two, the Rafale has the advantage.

But in a dogfight with the F-35, I believe the Rafale won't be coming out on top anymore, so the point of L1 won't arise then.

Although, I think both India and the US would want to proceed with an FMS offer for the F-35 for their own reasons, so it won't be coming directly against the Rafale.

 

[Akshat]

Yes, EFT was costlier and still is, so between the two, the Rafale has the advantage.

But in a dogfight with the F-35, I believe the Rafale won't be coming out on top anymore, so the point of L1 won't arise then.

Although, I think both India and the US would want to proceed with an FMS offer for the F-35 for their own reasons, so it won't be coming directly against the Rafale.

Well the way Indian tenders work is, they have a set of requirements. And all the participants have to be tested for those requirements. All the participants who meet the minimum basic requirements qualify. Then the L1, or the cheapest option among all those which meet the requirements of IAF (or any other armed force of India) is chosen.

So if F35 is offered via MRFA, then it is almost certain that F35 and Rafale will both meet the requirements (otherwise it will be pretty tough for IAF to explain to GoI how Rafale is rejected, since it was selected in MMRCA as well as in the Naval tender). Then Rafale is quite certain to win on price.

And US would never offer F35 unless it is guaranteed to be procured. So I agree, F35 is not likely to participate in MRFA. If it has to be purchased, it would be via other routes.

 

[Akshat]

They are not look how they lost to Germany in submarine deal of p75 even spanish were among final shortlisted ones. And dont worry france wont be selected for amca engine.

They never lost to Germany. They actually never participated. If they had, they would have been L1. Spain and Germany were not the final shortlisted candidates but the only participants.

And don't worry, France is guaranteed to be the only partner we will select for AMCA.

 

[Leo red]

Its time to encourage them for 100 fighters but built in India. What is must with it is engine technology if they are not ready call Russia. I believe after so much experience Russia is best supplier.

 

[P2S2]

FAL is not even built to print, but to assemble the semi-knocked-down kits. If this is what France wants to do, then there is no use placing the MRFA order, and the first aircraft will only come after 2032 due to the current order backlog and the need for setting up new infrastructure. And anyways, if they are not ready to part with the source code and want to charge an arm and a leg for every new integration, then it is not worthwhile investing. Also, their radar roadmap is not encouraging, to say the least, and will be obsolete when they arrive post-2030.

Important points to consider

 

[P2S2]

They are greedy, and yet they are always L1. Interesting.

Viva la frances. We understand them vice versa.

 

[kumar]

Despite the current backlog Dassault has spare production capacity. Dassault maintains that the first plane can come within 3 years after the deal is signed.

As for radar roadmap and the products themselves, right now no one has a better option apart from US. Even the typhoon consortium itself believes that they can't best Rafale's radars till at least 2030, if not more.

Don't spread lies to further your import agenda. Rafale doesn't have any spare production capacity. Its supply chain issue is well known, and it is struggling to meet the existing demand, and you're just trying to peddle false information. Listen, when we are spending billions of dollars on buying the fighter, we expect it to meet our requirements, which need to address our threats. Saying Typhoon doesn't have that option and Rafale is the only one available doesn't cut it. Keep your agendas to yourself. I have said this before and saying it again. You are a third-rate lie peddler.