Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group chairman Anil Ambani took to the skies on Day 2 of Aero India 2017 on Wednesday, February 15, for a sortie in French multirole fighter aircraft Dassault Rafale. The five-day air show is being held at Bengaluru's Yelahanka Air Force Station.
For the sortie, Ambani was kitted in flying overalls, G-suit, Armée de l'Air jacket torso harness, flying boots and helmet with an oxygen mask.
The sortie comprised take-off acceleration from 200-500 knots in full afterburner to 5,000 feet and, thereafter, climbing to 16,000 feet to give Ambani a first-hand feel of the aircraft's advanced digital fly-by-wire (FBW) flight-control system.
Once within the allocated flying sector, there were assisted maneuvers at 20,000 feet comprising medium-to-steep turns, climb with engaged reheat at about 9G before getting into deep-dive and level-out at around 15000 feet for a rejoin and landing back.
Before the flight, the 57-year-old was briefed on the emergency systems, how to operate the Heads-Up display and also the eject/egress procedures. The pre-flight briefing was held in the chalet area of the Air Force station.
Equipped with a wide range of weapons, Dassault Rafale is intended to perform air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike and nuclear deterrence missions.
The Anil Ambani-promoted Reliance Aerostructure Limited's proposed JV with Dassault Aviation has already received the Competition Commission of India's clearance. The JV is proposed to be named Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL).
Reliance Aerostructure Limited (RAL) will have 51 per cent shareholding in the JV and Dassault Aviation (DA) will hold 49 per cent.
About Dassault Aviation:
With more than 8,000 military and civil aircraft delivered to more than 90 countries over the past 60 years, and having logged nearly 28 million flight hours to date, Dassault Aviation offers recognised know-how and experience in the design, development, sale and support of all types of aircraft, from the Rafale fighter to the Falcon range of high-end business jets, as well as military unmanned air systems. In 2015, Dassault Aviation had reported revenues worth €4.20 billion.
The company has almost 12,000 employees. In 2016, Dassault Aviation celebrated the first centennial of its history, which started in 1916 with Marcel Dassault and the Éclair propeller.
