By A Correspondent
Bengaluru/Moscow: In a landmark development for India’s civil aviation industry, state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia’s Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC-UAC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly manufacture the SJ-100 civil commuter aircraft in India.
The agreement was signed in Moscow on Oct. 27, 2025, marking a significant step toward realising India’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-Reliant India) vision in the aviation sector.
The MoU was signed by HAL’s Prabhat Ranjan and UAC’s Oleg Bogomolov in the presence of HAL Chairman and Managing Director Dr. D.K. Sunil and UAC Director General Vadim Badekha, according to a statement from HAL on Oct. 28, 2025.
The partnership is seen as a result of decades of mutual trust and technical collaboration between India and Russia, including the production of the Su-30MKI combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force.
The SJ-100, formerly known as the Sukhoi Superjet 100, is a twin-engine, narrow-body passenger aircraft designed for regional connectivity. Over 200 of these jets have already been produced and are currently operated by more than 16 commercial airlines worldwide.
Under the new arrangement, HAL will have the rights to manufacture SJ-100 aircraft for domestic customers, with production aimed at strengthening short-haul connectivity under the government’s UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme, the HAL statement said.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the agreement as a “landmark step for India’s civil aviation sector.” In a post on X, he wrote, “The SJ-100 will be a game changer for short-haul connectivity under the UDAN Scheme and marks a major stride towards achieving ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in civil aviation.”
He further noted that the SJ-100 would be the first complete passenger aircraft manufactured in India since the AVRO HS-748 era, which began in 1961 and ended in 1988.
Industry experts view the initiative as a milestone that will not only enhance India’s indigenous manufacturing capabilities but also stimulate the private aviation ecosystem. The project is expected to generate substantial direct and indirect employment opportunities in the aerospace supply chain.
According to HAL, over the next decade, India’s aviation sector will require more than 200 jets in this category for regional connectivity and an additional 350 aircraft for the Indian Ocean region, catering to international tourist destinations.
The collaboration also comes at a strategically significant time, ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s expected visit to India later this year. It underscores the deepening industrial and technological cooperation between the two long-standing partners despite global sanctions on Russia’s UAC.
The agreement could easily come at the centre of the crosshairs of US President Donald Trump, who has been targeting both Russia, for the Ukraine war, and India, for buying Russian oil that he believes fuels the war.
The manufacturing of the SJ-100 in India marks the beginning of a new chapter in the country’s aviation history, one that revives the legacy of indigenous aircraft production and propels India closer to its goal of becoming a global hub for aerospace manufacturing.
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