Dassault
teams with India’s Reliance Industries
India conglomerate Reliance
Industries Limited (RIL) and French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation have agreed to jointly develop
defence and homeland security products in India, according to reports.
News of the teaming comes after reports
in 2011 that RIL was planning to expand into the aerospace and defence
(A&D) sector and its agreement with Siemens in September 2011 to jointly
develop telecommunications solutions for India’s homeland security market.
The partnership also follows India’s
announcement on 31st January that it had entered into final
negotiations with Dassault to accuire 126 Rafale fighter aircraft for its
Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) requirement. Rafale was chosen ahead
of the Eurofighter Typhoon in a selection that represents the type’s first
export order.
The MMRCA programme is estimated to be
worth more than USD 10.4 billion and Dassault is due to invest about 50 per cent
of the contract value in local offsets, largely in the military sector.
RIL’s revenues total about $50 billion
a year. It is India’s largest private sector conglomerate and focuses on
telecommunications, petrochemicals, retail chemicals and textiles but has
recently made moves into the A&D sector. In April 2010 RIL acquired a
controlling share of Deccan, a Bangalore-based cargo and freight logistics
company, while in 2011 RIL was linked to a potential investment in Indian naval
ship builder Pipavav.
Meanwhile,
in march 2011 RIL appointed Dr. Vivek Laal, who previously worked for Boeing
India where he served as in –country vise president of Boeing defense, Space
and security.
Dassault and RIL were unavailable for comment
at the time for going to press.
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