President Droupadi Murmu flew in a Rafale fighter jet from the Ambala Air Force Station, marking another memorable moment in her tenure as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. Earlier, on April 8, 2023, she had also taken a sortie in a Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft at the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam. It is worth mentioning that the Rafale jet was among the aircraft deployed during ‘Operation Sindoor,’ showcasing its vital role in India’s defense operations.
#WATCH | Haryana: President Droupadi Murmu takes off in a Rafale aircraft from the Ambala Air Force Station pic.twitter.com/XP0gy8cYRH
— ANI (@ANI) October 29, 2025
Earlier this month, IANS reported that Dassault Aviation of France is planning a Rafale Assembly Line in India with an eye on the Indian Navy and Air Force orders.
According to sources close to the development, India can soon become the first country to produce a 4.5 generation fighter aircraft without being an Original Equipment Manufacturer or the OEM.
Dassault has a current backlog of close to 200 Rafales which includes outstanding deliveries for existing orders of 80 aircraft for UAE, 42 for Indonesia, 12 for Croatia, Egypt 54, Greece 24, Qatar 36 and potential 26 for the Indian Navy.
The sources revealed that with its current capacity limited to 24 aircraft per year, there is a strong case for Dassault to establish an additional production line at its joint venture, Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) in India.
India is a big market and the Indian Air Force is looking at purchasing 114 fighter aircraft. Request For Proposal for this is expected in the next six months. This will be one of the largest orders for fighters anywhere in the world.
Indian Naval order for 26 aircraft is also expected to be finalised within the next six months with deliveries starting in 2027.
Sources earlier said that the Rafale manufacturing line at DRAL, MIHAN Special Economic Zone, Nagpur will see an additional half a million square feet infrastructure spread over 4 hangars, with production starting in 2028.
Annual capacity is planned at 24 aircraft per year or two aircraft per month. At an anticipated price of Rs 1,000 crore per aircraft in 2028, it will translate into Rs 24,000 crore sales per annum.
The project will involve an additional investment of around Rs. 3,000 crore. In terms of employment, DRAL currently employs over 600 personnel for the Falcon 2000 assembly line, and this number is expected to exceed 1,200 once Rafale production begins.
(From the Inputs of IANS)
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
