Russia is keen on extending its cooperation with India in aerospace sectors to the civil aviation sector and is in talks with several Indian private companies to establish joint projects under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
Sukhoi and Tata are in advanced stage of talks for the latter to build components for the Sukhoi Superjet (SSJ) 100 in India.
“We are in talks with Tata on manufacturing some of the tail components of the SSJ 100 in India. The talks are in an advanced stage,” Yury B. Slyusar, president of United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), told a group of visiting Indian journalists who were in Russia at the invitation of the UAC.
Tata already manufactures aerostructures and components for several global Original Equipment Manufacturers at its facilities in Hyderabad. Mr. Slyusar said a visit to Tata facilities in India by the company officials showed that their technical capability was up to the mark.
In addition to Tata, the UAC is also in talks with Mahindra and Reliance which are at a preliminary stage. With Reliance, military cooperation is also being discussed, Mr. Slyusar added.
Huge potentialSukhoi is planning to offer the SSJ 100 for the Indian market which has a large growth potential for civil aircraft. It is being pitched as a product offering the comfort and economy of a narrow bodied aircraft with the range of a regional jet. Company officials said India along with China, Middle East and Latin America, is one of the priority markets.
SSJ 100 is already being serially produced and over 56 aircraft are in operation. Several airlines have cumulatively flown over 1,18,400 flight hours as of November 2015 starting from April 2011.
Russia has also offered to collaborate with India in its ambitious efforts to build a regional passenger jet.
