PARIS ― Dassault Aviation held its first executive committee meeting in New Delhi last week, signaling the importance of building an industrial partnership in India, the aircraft builder said April 23.
“The gathering of the committee illustrates the company’s commitment to pave the way towards building up an Indian aero-defense manufacturing ecosystem, matching the highest standards in this field and positioning India as an industrial supplier reference in the global aerospace market,” the company said in a statement.
The top-level meeting was held April 19, a company spokeswoman said.
Dassault last week took part in a four-day tour of India, during which more than 60 French companies met local firms in search for industrial partners, the company said. Gifas, the French aerospace trade body, organized the visit.
The French companies visited local firms in Delhi, Bangalore, Pune and Nagpur, Dassault said. Dassault seeks to meet the requirements of the country’s policies Make in India and Skill India, as reflected by holding the meeting in India.
The family-controlled company won in 2016 an Indian order worth some €7.89 billion (U.S. $9.7 billion) for 36 Rafale fighters. That deal requires 30 percent of the total order invested in India’s research programs related to military aeronautics and 20 percent in local production of Rafale components to meet mandatory offset requirements.
Dassault hopes to win a further Indian order for the Rafale.
Dassault created in 2015 a joint venture, Dassault Reliance Aerospace, with its local partner Reliance Industries. Eric Trappier is chairman of Gifas and Dassault.
