India, Russia ink new agreement for aircraft production
(MENAFN) India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has entered a new collaboration with Russia’s PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) to produce the SJ-100 civil commuter aircraft domestically. The memorandum of understanding, signed in Moscow on Tuesday, marks a major milestone in India’s effort to develop its first locally manufactured passenger plane.
The Superjet SJ-100 is a twin-engine, narrow-body regional airliner currently in commercial service, with over 200 aircraft operating across 16 airlines worldwide. Under the new agreement, HAL will gain the rights to manufacture the SJ-100 in India to meet domestic demand.
“The model is expected to play a key role in boosting regional air connectivity under the Centre’s UDAN scheme,” HAL noted, referencing the government’s regional development program. The company added that “mutual trust” between HAL and UAC has enabled this Indo-Russian civil aviation initiative, the first since the AVRO HS-748 project, which ran from 1961 to 1988.
HAL emphasized that producing the SJ-100 in India will support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, aimed at strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities.
India is projected to require over 200 civil jets in the next decade for regional connectivity, along with an additional 350 aircraft for international routes across the Indian Ocean region.
PJSC UAC is a leading Russian manufacturer of both civil and military aircraft, while HAL has decades of experience building Russian fighter jets, helicopters, engines, avionics, and spare parts. The MoU was signed by Prabhat Ranjan (HAL) and Oleg Bogomolov (UAC), in the presence of HAL CMD DK Sunil and UAC DG Vadim Badekha.
Bilateral trade between India and Russia reached a record $66 billion in 2024, with contributions from sectors such as aviation and railways. Both countries aim to increase this figure to $100 billion by 2030.
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