Thales, French Defense Giant to set up avionics MRO in Delhi

French defence major Thales has announced plans to bring "trusted" high-tech capabilities to India as it plans to establish an avionics Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) facility in Delhi, aiming to provide world-class services to its airline customers.

Thale’s decision is set to strengthen the strategic partnership of New Delhi and Paris. It has made the decision to set up the avionics MRO in Delhi is hailed as a "key initiative.”

PM Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron during bilateral talks in Jaipur, agreed upon enhancing bilateral strategic cooperation in defence, security, trade, and clean energy.

As a key player in the Rafale team led by Dassault Aviation, Thales is proud of its contributions to the Rafale, providing advanced equipment such as radar, electronic warfare systems, optronics, communication navigation and identification systems (CNI), and cockpit display systems. 36 Rafales Jets have been procured by India France for the Indian Air Force.

representative image, Thale’s decision is set to strengthen the strategic partnership of New Delhi and Paris. It has made the decision to set up the avionics MRO in Delhi is hailed as a "key initiative.”

Ashis Saraf, Vice President and Country Director of Thales India, highlighted Thales' commitment to explore India's potential across key markets, including defence, aerospace, and digital identity and security. The company has inaugurated a second advanced facility in Bengaluru to expand its presence in the region. He has expressed support for India's ongoing modernization and indigenization efforts in the aerospace and defence sector.

For over Seven Decades, Thales has engaged with the Indian military in actively developing local service capacities to support Indian defence customers to achieve operational advancement .

Thales consider India as a significant business potential as well as an excellent hub for research and development, backed by abundant engineering talent. It anticipates further growth in this partnership, particularly in the design, development, and manufacturing of advanced technologies in India.

The expansion includes expansion by boosting engineering centres and teams in Bengaluru and Noida. Additionally, they're setting up an Avionics MRO in Delhi NCR to improve service efficiency for airline customers.

Thales is excited about the fast-growing partnership of India and France, agreeing on cooperation in defence and security, space, and cyberspace. Cooperation is also expanding in the maritime domain, in the Indian Ocean Region.

Macron's presence as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations is seen as symbolic of the strong India-France bilateral relationship.