Hyderabad: Russian aerospace manufacturers are eyeing India’s regional connectivity market through partnerships that combine aircraft sales with phased local production, technology transfer and maintenance support.The push began at Wings India 2026 in Hyderabad, where Rostec subsidiary United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) showcased two regional aircraft.UAC, which has already signed an agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to produce the 103-seat, twin-engine SuperJet 100 (SJ-100) in India, on Wednesday also inked a preliminary purchase deal with Hyderabad-based Flamingo Aerospace for six IL-114-300 turboprops aimed at underserved routes and smaller airports.Vadim Badekha, CEO, UAC, said India is central to the company’s civil aviation ambitions. “We consider that the Indian market has great potential for us. And a key factor in achieving success is being a part of the Make in India programme,” he said. Stressing the depth of the proposed industrial partnership, Badekha added, “That’s very important, that it’s not just the supply, just the sale of the aircraft, but the joint production of them in India.”Badekha said UAC sees demand “for several hundreds of different aircraft,” and argued that direct manufacturer-to-market engagement would be an advantage. “These aircraft are being manufactured only in our country now. So no intermediary will be there,” he said.He also flagged future opportunities beyond the SJ-100: “We are completing the works on certification of MC-21 single-aisle aircraft in our country. We also consider that this aircraft can be manufactured and can be sold to the Indian market.” On timelines, he said, “We think the manufacturing process, joint manufacture of the aircraft shall be phase-wise,” adding, “the first step can be done within 3 to 4 years.”HAL CMD D K Sunil said HAL plans to roll out semi knocked down (SKD) SJ-100 aircraft from existing facilities within three years by assembling imported major assemblies. He said HAL is also pursuing leasing to speed deployment, aiming to bring in about 10 aircraft within 12–18 months and potentially lease 10–20 flyaway aircraft sourced from Russia. Sunil said he expects demand for over 200 SJ-100 aircraft for regional connectivity and that HAL is in discussions with firms in GIFT City on leasing.Flamingo Aerospace founder and CEO Pappula Subhakar said, in addition to the preliminary purchase agreement for six IL-114-300 aircraft, it has also inked a licence agreement for technology transfer.Deliveries for the initial six aircraft are expected from early 2028. He said the plan includes about 25% indigenisation of interiors and seating and setting up of the MRO facilities by 2028, followed by final assembly by 2030 and deeper localisation thereafter.
