Dassault Aviation to Set Up Major Rafale Fighter Jet Manufacturing Hub in Nagpur, Marking Biggest Foreign OEM Defence Programme in India

In a major boost to India’s aerospace and defence manufacturing ambitions, French aerospace giant Dassault Aviation is preparing to set up a large-scale production facility in Nagpur, Maharashtra. The upcoming assembly line is expected to roll out as many as 24 Rafale fighter aircraft annually, making it the company’s second-largest manufacturing centre worldwide after its flagship facility in Merignac, France. The project is being described as the largest-ever fighter aircraft manufacturing programme by a foreign Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to be undertaken in India. The Nagpur plant is expected to anchor a broad domestic industrial ecosystem, bringing dozens of Indian aerospace firms into Dassault’s global Rafale supply chain. A Strategic Shift from Assembly to Full-Scale ProductionAccording to industry sources,