The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the production of civil commuter aircraft SJ-100. The SJ-100 is a twin-engine, narrow-body aircraft and as on date, more than 200 aircraft have been produced and are being operated by more than 16 commercial airline operators.
HAL said that the SJ-100 will be a game-changer for short-haul connectivity under the UDAN Scheme in India. Under this arrangement, HAL will have the rights to manufacture SJ-100 aircraft for domestic customers.
Aircraft to be fully produced in India.
“This collaboration between HAL and UAC is the result of mutual trust between the organisations. This will also be the first instance wherein a complete passenger aircraft will be produced in India. The last such project was HAL’s production of AVRO HS-748, which started in 1961 and ended in 1988,” HAL said.
It further added that it is estimated that over the next 10 years, the Indian aviation sector will require over 200 jets in this category for regional connectivity and an additional 350 aircraft for the Indian Ocean region to serve nearby international tourist destinations.
“The manufacturing of the SJ-100 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. Manufacturing will also strengthen the private sector and create direct and indirect jobs in the aviation industry,” the Bengaluru-headquartered PSU said.
The MoU was signed in Moscow, Russia, on October 27, 2025, by Prabhat Ranjan from HAL and Oleg Bogomolov from UAC. Saket Chaturvedi, CEO HAL Nashik, was also present.
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