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India signss pact with sanctioned Russian company to build civil aircraft

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, the state-owned Indian warplane manufacturer, announced on Tuesday that it had signed a preliminary agreement with a Russian aerospace company subject to Western sanctions to build civil commuter planes.

The United Aircraft Corporation agreement marks the first step in producing passenger aircrafts in India, but it could also stoke tensions between India and Western countries who are trying to punish Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Sources in the industry told us earlier this month that Indian refiners are poised to drastically reduce imports of Russian crude oil, as New Delhi tries to repair its relationship with Washington and convince it to lower import tariffs on Indian goods.

UAC is subject to U.S. sanctions, as are the European Union and British. The U.S. Treasury describes UAC as a major enterprise within Russia's military industrial complex.

India said that it did not support unilateral sanctions, and criticized the targeting of its relations with Moscow for being unjustified and unfair. It also accused the West of using double standards since the EU and U.S. continue to buy Russian goods worth millions of dollars.

HAL, according to a memorandum signed in Moscow will produce UAC’s SJ-100 narrow-body twin-engine aircraft, which can seat up to 100 passengers. HAL and UAC have been partners for many years, with HAL building the Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft under license for the Indian Air Force.

HAL stated in a press release that "this collaboration between HAL & UAC is a result of mutual confidence between the organizations." It's a big step in fulfilling the dream of "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliant India), especially in the civil aviation industry.

According to the company, the Indian aviation industry will require over 200 jets to provide regional connectivity in the next 10 to 15 years. An additional 350 jets are needed to service nearby international tourist destinations.

Amit Malviya is the head of the Information Technology Department in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party led by Prime Minister NarendraModi. He said that the pact would help India achieve its goal to become a manufacturing hub around the world.

In a blog post, Malviya stated that India is now a part of the global civil aviation industry, which has been dominated for years by Airbus and Boeing. Reporting by Shivam Patel, New Delhi Editing Mark Potter

(source: Reuters)