HAL to produce Russian SJ-100 civil aircraft

New Delhi: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia’s Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC-UAC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the production of the SJ-100 civil commuter aircraft.

The agreement, formalised in Moscow on October 27, marks a decisive step toward the revival of India’s civil aviation manufacturing ecosystem and aligns with the government’s “Make in India” initiative.

According to HAL officials, the MoU was signed by Prabhat Ranjan of HAL and Oleg Bogomolov of PJSC-UAC in the presence of HAL Chairman and Managing Director D. K. Sunil and Vadim Badekha, Director General of PJSC-UAC. The collaboration signifies not only a technological partnership but also a strategic push to establish India as a regional hub for aircraft production.

The Russian aerospace and defence major PJSC-UAC, headquartered on Leningradsky Avenue in Moscow, is a leading state-backed conglomerate that consolidates multiple public and private Russian aviation enterprises involved in the design, manufacture, and sale of both military and civilian aircraft. Through this partnership, HAL will gain access to advanced aircraft manufacturing technologies, further strengthening its capabilities in the civil aviation sector.

The SJ-100 is a twin-engine, narrow-body regional jet that has already entered service with over 16 commercial airlines worldwide, with more than 200 units produced to date. In India, the aircraft is expected to be a key enabler of short-haul connectivity under the government’s UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) scheme, which aims to make air travel more affordable and accessible to smaller towns and cities. Under the terms of the MoU, HAL will hold the manufacturing rights for the SJ-100 for domestic customers, enabling localised production and reducing reliance on imports.

HAL’s last venture into civil passenger aircraft manufacturing was the AVRO HS-748 project, launched in 1961 and completed in 1988.