State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is actively talking to India's defence ministry for an assembly role in the Rafale combat jet contract that New Delhi is looking to sign, Chairman R K Tyagi said.
India picked the Rafale combat jet, made by Dassault Aviation, for exclusive negotiations over a year ago after a hotly contested bidding war with rival manufacturers, but is still to finalise the 126-aircraft deal.