The joint venture, expected to be headquartered at MIHAN in Nagpur, aims to support India’s armed forces with timely and cost-efficient maintenance solutions. Industry estimates peg India’s MRO market for ageing military platforms at ₹20,000 crore over the next decade.

The new partnership will combine Reliance Defence’s infrastructure and manufacturing presence in India with CMI’s expertise in component-level repair, precision machining, and aerospace systems. CMI already supports several projects with the US Department of Defence.

Sources close to the development said the JV would undertake lifecycle support, repairs and performance upgrades of IAF Jaguar aircraft, MiG‑29s, and Boeing Apache helicopters. In addition, Indian Army’s ageing L-70 anti-aircraft guns, which still form a critical part of low-level air defence, will also be modernised under the project.

The companies said the partnership would create high-skilled jobs in the region and reduce dependence on foreign vendors for spare parts and upgrades. The joint venture will also position India as a regional MRO hub, serving not only the Indian armed forces but potentially Southeast Asian and African defence clients operating similar Soviet and US-origin equipment.

This strategic tie-up aligns with the Modi government’s push for defence indigenisation under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative and is seen as a step forward in building domestic capabilities for managing ageing but mission-critical systems. The JV is expected to seek approvals from India’s Ministry of Defence in the coming months.

Reliance Defence is a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure. The announcement comes at a time when India is looking to extend the service life of several air and ground platforms rather than replacing them outright, in order to optimise defence spending and logistics readiness.