Strata Manufacturing PJSC, the advanced composite aero-structures manufacturing company, wholly owned by Mubadala Development Company, and Reliance Defence Limited, a wholly owned Subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure Limited, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on advanced aerospace manufacturing capabilities between India and the United Arab Emirates.

The agreement continues to deepen the bilateral ties developed between the UAE and India at both a political and economic level.

The potential partnership, which follows extensive discussions between the two companies, will look at opportunities in the production of Carbon Fibre Composites Aerostructures, Prepegs as well as 3D printing of aerospace components and airframe panels. This collaboration is in line with Strata's vision to become one of the top aerospace companies globally.

The Dhirubhai Ambani Aerospace Park, located at the Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN), is being considered by Reliance Defence Limited (RDL) for a new facility to support its aerospace ambitions, and forms part of the emerging aerospace industry in India.

Commenting on the news, Badr Al Olama, CEO of Strata, said: “As an established player in the advanced manufacturing of aerostructures, we are keen to grow our capabilities globally with Reliance and expand our operational footprint by capitalizing on innovative, cost-effective solutions that can benefit our customers whilst enhancing our financial performance.

The collaboration between the UAE and India has been instrumental in promoting knowledge transfer and strengthening ties between businesses to jointly invest in developing world class products.

Working together with Reliance, we see a significant opportunity that can lead to the creation of a new tier-one global supplier: designing, developing and manufacturing major aircraft components - such as wings and empennages - for the next generation of aircrafts.”

Rajesh K. Dhingra, President, Reliance Defence & Aerospace, said: “India's composites industry is at a nascent stage and projected to reach Four Lakh metric tons by 2020. The project has the potential to bring in significant foreign direct investment and cutting edge technology in this niche composite aircraft manufacturing segment. 3D Printing enables us to produce assembly and machining fixtures in one-quarter the time and at one-half the cost as conventional machining.”

Under the Memorandum of Understanding, Strata and Reliance will consider new opportunities in the commercial aerospace market, address the emerging market for 3D printing of aircraft components, address obsolescence management and consider other areas of growth related to both the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 and “Make in India” initiative.

The Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 was created as a long term roadmap for economic progress for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi through diversifying the economy away from oil and gas. The vision is based on several pillars with great emphasis on establishing a knowledge-based economy and empowering private sectors. It also aims to significantly increase the contribution of non-oil sectors to Abu Dhabi's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 64% by the year 2030.

The Make in India initiative was launched by Prime Minister in September 2014 as part of a wider set of nation-building initiatives and was devised to transform India into a global design and manufacturing hub. Built on strategic collaborations and partnerships from around the world, the Make in India initiative is aimed at raising the contribution of the manufacturing sector to 25% of India's total GDP by 2020.

Badr Al Olama, CEO of Strata, added: “Material science and 3D printing technology are set to become industrial game changers with applications going beyond aerospace into the space and other manufacturing segments. It introduces innovation, it redefines processes and, more importantly, enhances competitiveness.”