Russia proposes joint production of Superjet and Il-114 with India
Russian corporation Rostec is actively promoting the idea of co-producing civil aircraft, the Superjet-100 and Il-114-300, with Indian partners.
According to Defence Express, citing Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov, negotiations are already underway, and a memorandum of cooperation has been signed between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the Russian United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).
This move could provide a lifeline for the Russian aviation industry, which has been struggling under sanctions.
India, following its “Make in India” policy, prefers localised production with technology transfer. New Delhi has already successfully mastered fuselage assembly for French Rafale jets, making a similar approach possible here.
Boeing forecasts that India will need over 1,000 passenger aircraft by 2040, making the market highly attractive for partnerships.
The Il-114-300 is a turboprop aircraft designed for regional flights from short runways, ideal for India’s remote airfields. The Superjet-100 could serve international routes from larger hubs.
Indian industry would circumvent sanctions by sourcing Western components directly, unlike Russia.
It should be recalled that Russia has already found ways to bypass US sanctions to supply oil to India. Indian companies are also planning to replace Russian crude with supplies from Venezuela.
