HAL signs MoU with Russia amid Trump tariffs to produce civil commuter aircraft SJ-100

State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed a deal with Russia's Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC-UAC) in Moscow to produce civil commuter aircraft SJ-100 in Moscow, the aeronautics company said on Tuesday.

According to a media release by the PSU, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Prabhat Ranjan of HAL and Oleg Bogomolov of PJSC UAC, Russia, in the presence of HAL CMD DK Suni and UAC Director General Vadim Badekha.

What is the HAL-UAC SJ-100 deal?

Under the deal, HAL will be able to have the rights to produce the SJ-100 aircraft for domestic customers, the company said.

“This collaboration between HAL and UAC is the result of mutual trust between the organisations,” HAL said.

The signing of the HAL-UAC MoU also marks the first time in which a complete passenger aircarft will be made in India.

“The last such project was HAL's production of AVRO HS748, which started in 1961 and ended in 1988,” HAL said.

The manufacturing of the SJ-100 aircraft will also lead to the strengthening of the private aviation sector and create direct and indirect jobs in the industry, the company said.

HAL has not mentioned the number of SJ-100 aircraft it will manufacture under the deal.

What is SJ-100 aircraft?

SJ-100 is a new generation short-haul jet aircraft of Russian origin. Earlier called the Sukhoi Superjet 100, it originally was designed by the now-merged Russian aircraft company Sukhoi Civil Aircraft.

The SJ-100 is a twin-engine, narrow-body aircraft. As on date, over 200 SJ-100 aircraft have been manufactured.

The aircraft are being operated by more than 16 airlines across the world, nine of them being from Russia.

According to the official website, the SJ-100 is capable of accommodating 103 seats and has a flight range of 3,530 kilometres.

The aircraft has been touted as having low operating costs for airlines. It can operate at extreme weather conditions, from -55 degrees Celsius to +45 degrees Celsius, making it a perfect fit for Indian weather conditions.

The cabin of the aircraft can be easily redesigned to meet the needs of the airline.

How will India use SJ-100 aircraft?

According to the press release by HAL, the SJ-100 aircraft will be manufactured for commercial use.

“SJ-100 will be the game changer for short-haul connectivity under the UDAN Scheme in India,” the company said.

Under the UDAN scheme, new aircraft are being added every year over the past nine years to make air travel more seamless and economic in India.

It is estimated that over the next 10 years, the Indian aviation sector will need more than 200 jets in the passenger aircraft category for regional connectivity and an additional 350 aircraft for the Indian Ocean region to serve nearby international tourist destinations.

The indigenous manufacturing of the SJ-100 planes will aid to that need.

“The manufacturing of the SJ -1 00 aircraft marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Indian aviation industry. It's a step towards fulfilling the dream of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' in the civil aviation sector,” HAL said.