Amidst air india announcing its massive procurement of 470 Jets 250 from airbus and 220 from boeing in a deal worth 80 billion dollars. Russian company United Aircraft Corporation has proposed manufacturing of sukhoi superjet civil aircraft.
The proposal by the Russian company United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) to manufacture Sukhoi Superjet civil aircraft in India is an interesting development in the aviation industry. If the proposal is accepted by the Indian government and UAC, it could lead to greater collaboration between Russia and India in the aviation sector.
“With the Sukhoi SuperJet aircraft project, we are considering the possibility of localization and production here [in India]. [We] already have experience of mass production here,” General Director of the United Aircraft Corporation Yury Slyusar was quoted by Sputnik News as saying.
“The so-called import entity Sukhoi SuperJet… India can purchase units using this entity with our help, and, with the supply of our components, establish airframe production here and make a full-fledged Indian aircraft, delivering it to the domestic market and to the markets of friendly countries,” Slyusar added.
The Sukhoi Superjet is a twin-engined regional jet that can carry up to 100 passengers, and it has been in service since 2011. It is developed by the Russian manufacturer Sukhoi JSC. It had its maiden flight in 2008 and its first commercial service three years later. It has maximum cruise speed of Mach 0.81 and maximum altitude of 12,500m. The SSJ100 is available in basic (95B) and long range (95LR) variants, serving short to medium range routes between 3,279-4,620 km.
UAC has been trying to increase the market share of the Sukhoi Superjet, which has faced some challenges due to issues with reliability and support.
“We offered to the Indian side to assemble the Sukhoi Superjet with foreign-made components here in India in line with international technical specifications… Our plan is to manufacture in Russia with Russian components and in India to set up manufacturing of Sukhoi Superjet international, which can be built very fast…,” Mr. Slyusar said, speaking to a few journalists on the sidelines of Aero India last week. “On the request of HAL, we made a presentation and sent it to them and we are awaiting their feedback.”
Manufacturing the Sukhoi Superjet in India could provide a cost-effective solution for UAC, as India has a large pool of skilled labor and a lower cost of production. This could make the aircraft more competitive in the global market.
It remains to be seen whether the proposal will be accepted by the Indian government and whether UAC will be able to overcome the challenges it has faced with the Sukhoi Superjet. However, this development shows that there is a growing interest in expanding aviation manufacturing partnerships across the world.
The five-day event to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi would include aerial displays by aircraft along with a large exhibition and trade fair of aerospace companies. This year, the exhibition is expected to be the biggest airshow with the highest rate of participation and would feature top international think-tanks, major aerospace companies and world leaders.
