Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has signed an MoU with a Russian public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation for the production of SJ-100 civil commuter aircraft in India. In a social media post,
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the landmark step for the civil aviation sector of the country.
The Minister said that the SJ-100 will be a game changer for short-haul connectivity under the UDAN Scheme and marks a major stride towards achieving ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in civil aviation.
He added that SJ-100 will be the first complete passenger aircraft to be made in the country.
The Minister further added that the manufacturing of the aircraft will strengthen the private sector and create direct and indirect jobs in the aviation industry.
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.
“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.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh termed the signing of the MoU as a landmark step for the Indian civil aviation sector.
“The SJ-100 will be a game changer for short-haul connectivity under the UDAN Scheme and marks a major stride towards achieving ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in civil aviation. SJ-100 will be the first complete passenger aircraft to be made in the country since the AVRO era. The manufacturing will also strengthen the private sector and create direct and indirect jobs in the aviation industry,” Mr. Singh said.