The Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group has said it will invest ₹6,500 crore in building a mammoth greenfield aerospace equipment manufacturing centre in Nagpur.

Reliance Defence Ltd, a newly formed company of the ADAG Group, will set up assembly lines and manufacturing facilities of fixed wing aircraft, aerostructures for commercial transport aircraft, and helicopters for both defence and commercial use.

The centre, to be called Dhirubhai Ambani Aerospace Park (DAAP), will also house ancillary and component manufacturing units to support after-sales requirements.

On Friday, the Maharashtra Government allotted 289 acres in the Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN) SEZ to the Reliance Group. The land was given within 10 weeks of the company making a presentation to the State government.

While speaking at the land allotment ceremony at Nagpur, Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani said: “The project at Mihan will be the largest Greenfield project not only in India but in South-East Asia. We are deeply committed to the defence sector.”

According to the company, the site at Mihan was selected after an extensive survey across various States. “Mihan was selected over other sites because of its world-class facilities and infrastructure,” said a company statement.

To be developed on the lines of a smart city layout,  DAAP will be a one-stop hub for global aerospace requirements. The project will be India’s first integrated facility in aerospace structure, engine design and manufacture, fabrication and platform integration. 

Eye on defence Reliance Group is aggressively eyeing the defence sector seeking to capture a slice of the $100 billion worth of opportunities expected to come up as part of the Government's ‘Make in India’ programme.

Reliance had recently acquired a controlling stake in Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Company for about ₹819 crore. 

According to sources, Reliance has already bagged a deal from Russia to manufacture 200 Kamov 226T helicopters in India.

This will be the third defence-related contract from Russia for the company. Earlier, Pipapav Defence bagged a contract to build Grigorivich frigates for the Russian navy.

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