Fighter aircraft Rafale and Mirage

• 21 Apr 2025

Why in News 

French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation will carry out repair and maintenance and overhaul (MRO) of the Indian Air Force 's Rafale and Mirage-2000 fighter aircraft at the Noida airport complex . The company will also set up a Centre of Excellence and a university for this. 

Key Points 

•  About
  • 1365 hectares of land has been acquired for the MRO facility , which is located near Noida International Airport . 
  • Aeronautical and Avionics courses at high school, polytechnic and graduation levels will be started at the Centre of Excellence established by Dassault . 
  • It aims to reduce foreign dependency by enhancing MRO capacity in India, promote self-reliance in the defence sector and enhance investment and employment opportunities in the state by attracting FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) . 
  • The company will also get a subsidy of ₹12 crore under the FDI policy . 
  • The MRO industry in India was worth $1.7 billion in 2021 , and is projected to reach $7 billion by 2030 . 
  • India has 713 aircraft , which can increase to 1522 by 2031. The Indian Air Force has 36 Rafale and 50 Mirage-2000 aircraft. 
  • India will no longer be dependent on countries like America, China and Singapore for the maintenance of state-of-the-art aircraft like Rafale and Mirage. 
• Importance:   
  • The maintenance cost and time of the Indian Air Force will be reduced. 
  • India's strategic autonomy and defence preparedness will be strengthened. 
  • Local employment , technical education and industrial development will be promoted. 
  • India's MRO industry can become globally competitive. 
  • Uttar Pradesh will get a new identity in the aviation sector . 

About Rafale: 

• Rafale is a French twin-engine and multirole fighter aircraft, designed by Dassault Aviation of France. 
• State-of-the-art technology has been used in this fighter plane and it is a 4.5 Generation fighter plane. 
• The Meteor Missile, SCALP Cruise Missile and MICA Missile System present in the Rafale fighter aircraft make it very important from the security point of view. 
• Rafale can fly at a speed of 2,222.6 kilometres per hour and an altitude of 50,000 feet. 
• This fighter aircraft is approximately 15.27 metres long and can carry 9,500 kilograms of bombs and ammunition at a time.