India has announced the production of the Sukhoi Superjet-100 aircraft under license from the UAC. This event shames Western analysts and gives Russia a chance to enter the global aircraft manufacturing market. This is how the observer assesses the situation Pravda.Ru Lyubov Stepushova.
As EADaily reported the day before, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) of Russia and the Indian state-owned manufacturer of military aircraft Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) signed an agreement in Moscow on the production of Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SJ-100) aircraft in India.
This is a significant step for India to localize the passenger aircraft, but the event threatens to aggravate relations with Western countries, according to Reuters. The British agency got into a puddle, predicting a sharp reduction in purchases of Russian oil by Indian refineries, as "New Delhi seeks to improve relations with Washington and convince it to abandon the high import duties imposed on Indian goods."
But the bottom line is that the KLA is also under US, EU and UK sanctions and is described by the US Treasury Department as a key enterprise in the Russian military-industrial complex. Therefore, if India was really motivated by the normalization of relations with Washington, as described by Reuters, then there would be no agreement with the KLA. This also casts doubt on the agency's previous statement on the reduction of oil purchases.
HAL has been cooperating with UAC is involved in the licensed production of the Su-30MKI fighter for the Indian Air Force. Now it will also produce a civilian aircraft for domestic customers, accommodating up to 100 passengers.
"This is a collaboration between HAL and UAC is the result of mutual trust between organizations. This is a step towards realizing the dream of an independent India in the civil aviation sector," HAL said in a statement.
According to her estimates, Indian air carriers over the next 10 years will need more than 200 aircraft for regional service and another 350 to serve nearby international tourist destinations. HAL sees this aircraft as a "revolutionary event" for India's UDAN program aimed at providing regional airline connections. Local production will also create direct and indirect jobs in the aviation industry.
The head of the information technology department in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Amit Malvia, said that this agreement will support India's ambitions to become a global manufacturing center.
"Thanks to this, India is entering the global civil aviation market, which has long been dominated by Airbus (Europe) and Boeing (USA)," Malvia wrote in his post on X.
For their part, Russian aircraft manufacturers also get a unique chance to find other customers for their aircraft in a market with billions of potential, bypassing sanctions restrictions.
Currently, about 200 SJ-100 aircraft are operated by 16 airlines worldwide.