Mumbai: Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure is now working to grab a bigger share of the Rs.5000 crore military aircraft and helicopter upgrade market, where it has recently successfully upgraded 55 Dornier-228 aircraft in partnership with US-based Genesys. Historically, the aircraft upgrade market has been dominated by PSU and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), extending the aircraft’s service life by 30-40 years.
Reliance Infrastructure had earlier been awarded a contract to refurbish 37 Dornier aircraft by state run HAL, and the company secured a repeat order for 18 additional units on successful completion of the contract. According to sources, the total value of the contract was Rs.350 crore.
The global market for aircraft and helicopter upgrades stands at Rs. 5,00,000 crore annually and is set to rise to Rs. 7,00,000 crore in the next seven years. India has vast experience with legacy platforms, along with a substantial domestic opportunity, especially as the armed forces seek to modernise their older fleets for next-gen warfare.
Reliance Infrastructure is actively seeking to scale up its aircraft maintenance and upgrade capabilities, collaborating with established OEMs to offer world-class solutions. The company has also played a key role in the performance based logistics program for Rafale fighter jets in collaboration with French aerospace major Thales.
Earlier this month, Reliance revealed plans to boost its ammunition exports by developing a defence manufacturing plant in Maharashtra, even as the company has seen a five-fold surge in valuation in the last 5 years.
Following the Indo-Pak skirmish after Operation Sindoor, there has been a heightened interest in defence stocks, especially as many of them boost domestic manufacturing in-line with the government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
