Overview
- HAL and United Aircraft Corporation signed the non-binding agreement in Moscow on October 27, giving HAL the rights to produce the roughly 100-seat SJ-100 for Indian customers.
- Officials pitch the programme to boost short-haul routes under the UDAN scheme, with HAL citing a need for more than 200 regional jets in the next decade and additional demand for nearby international routes.
- If realized, it would mark India’s first complete passenger-aircraft production since HAL’s Avro HS‑748 line ended in 1988.
- Key details remain undisclosed, including a production timeline, factory allocation, financing, certification pathway and supplier arrangements, and engine choices hinge on Russia’s PD‑8, which is still undergoing certification.
- UAC is under US, EU and UK sanctions, and the announcement comes ahead of a planned Putin visit to India, adding geopolitical sensitivity alongside recent US tariff tensions reported in Indian media.