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India to Build Sukhoi Superjet 100 Domestically in Milestone Aviation Partnership With Russia
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
India and Russia have signed an agreement to jointly manufacture Sukhoi Superjet 100 passenger aircraft, just weeks before Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s expected visit to New Delhi, Bloomberg reported on October 28.
The deal, announced by India’s state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC)—which is under international sanctions—grants HAL the rights to produce the SJ-100 for India’s domestic market under the government’s UDAN regional aviation program.
A Passenger captured the PDA (Parts Departing Aircraft) incident of Azimuth Airlines.
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) June 18, 2025
An Azimuth Airlines Sukhoi Superjet 100-95B (Regd. RA-89120) lost its right engine cowling after takeoff from Moscow's Vnukovo Airport (VKO) on flight A4-7053 to Batumi (BUS) on June 15, 2025.… pic.twitter.com/9MMPlmY6ax
The twin-engine, narrow-body Sukhoi Superjet 100 is Russia’s only post-Soviet commercial airliner, originally developed with European partners.
More than 200 have been built since 2007 and are operated by 16 airlines. However, Western sanctions following Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine cut off component supplies, forcing Moscow to push an “import-substituted” version, the SSJ-New, which has faced repeated delays due to engine issues.
If implemented, the new project would mark the first full-scale passenger aircraft production in India, a milestone not seen since HAL’s licensed manufacturing of the AVRO HS748 between 1961 and 1988.
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The pact comes amid rapid growth in India’s aviation market, with major carriers Air India and IndiGo planning to acquire more than 1,000 new aircraft in the coming years.
HAL estimates India will need over 200 regional aircraft in the next decade, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to double the number of airports to 350 by 2047.
The timing of the announcement—just before Putin’s December visit—adds political weight. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized India’s continued oil purchases from Russia and recently imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods, calling them a response to trade barriers and New Delhi’s cooperation with Moscow.
✈️ The first Russian-built serial Sukhoi Superjet 100 with 🇷🇺 PD-8 engines has completed its maiden flight in Komsomolsk-on-Amur!
— Russian Embassy in South Africa 🇷🇺 (@EmbassyofRussia) September 6, 2025
Dozens of foreign components replaced with Russian ones.
👍 24 more in production.#MadeInRussia pic.twitter.com/6KoYtvHAFS
Analysts cited by Bloomberg suggest the Superjet deal could serve as a balancing maneuver, allowing India to maintain its long-standing strategic ties with Russia while pursuing a potential “Trump trade pact” with Washington.
HAL did not clarify the financial scale or technology-transfer terms of the agreement, though the company described the partnership as “a result of mutual trust” between the two sides.
Earlier, reports emerged that Russia’s aircraft manufacturers delivered just one of 15 planned commercial jets so far this year, as sanctions on foreign components stall production and high interest rates deter investment.
