Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) and United Aircraft have signed a memorandum of understanding for SJ-100 production in India.
Under the agreement, HAL has the right to produce the aircraft for domestic customers in India.
The MOU was signed in Bengaluru by officials from the two companies. No details were given as to potential Indian customers for the SJ-100 or when production might commence.
New Delhi has placed a high priority on improving regional connectivity through its ‘Udan’ scheme. It also prioritises domestic job creation and local production.
United Aircraft is conducting certification tests of the SJ-100, with Aviadvigatel PD-8 engines. The Superjet 100 from which it is derived is still powered by the PowerJet SaM146 – a joint programme with French firm Safran.
HAL estimates that there is a market for over 200 regional jets in India over the next decade, with a further 350 required by the “Indian Ocean region.”
Regional jets have yet to make significant inroads in the Indian market, with carriers preferring larger narrowbodies produced by Airbus and Boeing.
Cirium, an aviation analytics company, indicates that there are just 12 regional jets operating in India: Eight Embraer 175s and four ERJ-135/145s.
India’s major regional jet operator is Star Air, which operates seven E175s and a pair of ERJ-145s.
The SJ-100 has 71 firm orders, all from Russian carriers, with Red Wings Airlines the largest holding 45 orders.
HAL has a long history of licence production for Russian combat types such as the Mikoyan MiG-21, MiG-27, and Sukhoi Su-30MKI.
Co-operation between HAL and Russian partners has not always been smooth. Plans to develop an Indian Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft, or FGFA, based on the Su-57, fell through in 2018.
HAL and United Aircraft also had a joint venture to build a twin-engined Multirole Transport Aircraft in the 2010s, but HAL dropped out in 2015. This programme lingers on as the conceptual Ilyushin Il-276 tactical transport.
