India and Russia are discussing the launch of licensed production of SJ-100 airliners based at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The project could lead to a deep redesign of the aircraft to meet the requirements of the Indian market and the creation of new versions, said aviation expert Sergey Marzhetsky.
According to him, the key question is how the program will develop after production localization.
The evolution of the "Superjet" in India could follow its own development path, where versions for 75 and 130 passenger seats have a chance to be realized in metal.
He reminded that India is simultaneously cooperating with Embraer, but dependence on a single supplier creates risks for the republic.
Vadim Badeha, head of the United Aircraft Corporation, noted that in the long term, Russia expects to reach production of up to 40 aircraft per year in India. However, the matter is currently at the memorandum of understanding stage.
