The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding for production of civil commuter aircraft SJ-100.

About SJ-100
The abbreviation "SJ-100" primarily refers to a Russian regional jet aircraft and is currently in the news due to a significant international agreement.
Here is the breakdown of the SJ-100:

1. SJ-100 Aircraft (Russian Origin)
The SJ-100 is a twin-engine, narrow-body regional jet aircraft designed for short-haul flights.

Feature	Detail
Origin/Manufacturer	Russia (designed by Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, now part of the Yakovlev Corporation under United Aircraft Corporation - UAC)
Former Name	Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100)
Type	New-generation regional jet for short-haul civilian use.
Seating Capacity	Typically up to 103 seats (maximum layout).
Key Focus	Low operating costs, ability to operate in extreme weather conditions, and suitability for regional routes.
'Russification'	The current SJ-100 is an upgraded version of the original SSJ100, which has undergone extensive import substitution to replace Western components with Russian-built equivalents, including the new PD-8 engines.

2. Recent Significance in India
The SJ-100 has gained recent prominence due to a landmark agreement between India and Russia:

• Agreement: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), an Indian Public Sector Undertaking, and Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) signed an MoU for the production of the SJ-100 civil commuter aircraft in India.

Indian Context:
This is being hailed as a major step towards 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India) in the civil aviation sector, as it would be the first full passenger aircraft to be manufactured domestically since the 1980s.
The aircraft is considered a "game-changer" for boosting regional air connectivity, particularly under the Indian government's UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme.

Download Pdf