HAL signs MoU with Russia's PJSC-UAC to produce civil aircraft SJ-100

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) announced signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Russia's Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC-UAC) for the production of civil commuter aircraft SJ-100 in Moscow, Russia.

Prabhat Ranjan of HAL and Oleg Bogomolov, PJSC UAC, Russia, signed the MoU in the presence o fDK Sunil, CMD, HAL and Vadim Badeka, Director General, PJSC UAC, according to a release by HAL.

The aircraft is a twin-engine, narrow-body aircraft. More than 200 aircraft have been produced and are being operated by more than 16 commercial airline operators, HAL said.


"SJ-100 will be the game changer for short-haul connectivity under the UDAN Scheme in India. Under this arrangement, HAL will have the rights to manufacture SJ-100," HAL said in the release.

This will be the first instance wherein a complete passenger aircraft will be produced in India. The last such project was HAL's production of AVRO HS748, which started in 1961 and ended in 1988.

It is estimated that over the next ten years, the Indian aviation sector will require over 200 jets in this category for regional connectivity and an additional 350 aircraft for the Indian Ocean region to serve nearby international tourist destinations.