Nagpur: In a fresh blow to the long-standing aspirations of Nagpur’s MIHAN project, the fuselage of the Rafale fighter jet will now be manufactured in Hyderabad instead of Nagpur, where Dassault Aviation and Reliance Defence had earlier set up a dedicated defence manufacturing unit.
During the Rs 58,000 crore deal for the procurement of 36 Rafale jets from France, it was agreed that key components would be manufactured in India. This led to a joint venture between Reliance and Dassault, resulting in the establishment of the Dhirubhai Ambani Aerospace Park in MIHAN, Nagpur, with much fanfare and anticipation.
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For many in the region, it seemed like a dream come true — a sign that Nagpur was set to become a major hub in India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem. The first set of doors covering the twin engines of the Rafale jets were indeed produced and exported from the Nagpur plant, indicating a promising start.
However, hopes began to fade as the focus at the Nagpur facility gradually shifted from Rafale parts to components for the Falcon business jet. The momentum around the Rafale project slowed, and manufacturing activity related to it dwindled.
Now, in a significant development, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Dassault Aviation have signed four Production Transfer Agreements to manufacture key structural sections of the Rafale fuselage. These include the lateral shells of the rear fuselage, the complete rear section, the central fuselage, and the front section — all to be produced at a new TASL facility in Hyderabad, Telangana.
An official statement described the agreement as a major step forward in bolstering India’s aerospace capabilities and integrating with global supply chains. While this is being hailed as a major leap for India’s defence sector, it has left Nagpur — and MIHAN — out in the cold once again.
Industry observers and local stakeholders question why Nagpur, which already hosts an operational Dassault-Reliance facility, was overlooked. “MIHAN had the setup and the potential. Yet again, the opportunity slipped away,” a local defence expert noted. Even Tata, which has an existing unit in MIHAN producing aircraft beams, had shown interest in expansion, but that too has stagnated.
The shift in focus to Falcon business jets at the MIHAN plant underscores the sidelining of Nagpur’s original Rafale-related ambitions. Reliance Defence, which holds a 3% share in the Rafale offset contract, was expected to produce multiple components for the fighter aircraft. Initial activity did begin, but eventually fizzled out, with the Falcon programme taking centre stage.
With Hyderabad emerging as the new destination for high-end aerospace manufacturing, the latest snub has only deepened concerns over MIHAN’s stagnation and the repeated loss of strategic opportunities to other cities.
