Galaxy
Senior Member
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2011
- Messages
- 7,086
- Likes
- 3,934
Russia offers co-production of passenger jets
Mon Dec 12 2011, 01:03 hrs
New Delhi: Ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Russia next week, Moscow has, for the first time, offered co-production of five passenger aircraft in India, including the 90-seater Sukhoi 100 Superjet. This is the first attempt at taking cooperation beyond military aviation.
Apart from the Sukhoi, the other aircraft Russia has put up on offer are — TU-204 series with a capacity of 200-plus passengers, AN-148 with seating capacity ranging from 75 to 100, MS-21 with 150-200 passenger capacity and the 70-seater BE-200, which is also used for fire-fighting, patrolling as well as search and rescue missions.
While preliminary discussions have already taken place between both sides in the run up to the visit, India has to take a call based on the assessment of its own efforts to build an indigenous civilian aircraft. The Prime Minister had set up a national task force to study the feasibility of such a project under the chairmanship of former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair. The report, which was submitted six months ago, had said that India has the capability to develop a 90-seater indigenous civilian aircraft over a period of five years at a cost of about Rs 8,300 crore. It had suggested creation of the National Civilian Aircraft Development Authority for this purpose and until then, recommended that the task force function as the coordinating body.
However, the project seems to have got caught in departmental rivalry with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) still not processing the papers for Cabinet consideration. CSIR's National Aerospace Laboratories, sources said, wants to be the nodal agency for the project while the committee had found the facility inadequate.
Russia, on the other hand, has suggested that its offer should be treated separately, on the lines of existing joint collaboration in the military field like the Brahmos venture, Sukhoi MKI and the ongoing joint efforts like building a fifth generation fighter aircraft. Co-production in India, according to Russian officials, will improve commercial prospects of these planes which are currently used by a handful of airlines in a market dominated by US and European aircraft makers.
As of now, New Delhi has agreed to carry the conversation forward and explore its commercial possibilities. Moscow is keen to elevate this to a higher level during the visit to ensure political consideration for India to enter the aviation market.
While this offer is being weighed against the project for an indigenous aircraft, officials admit that India's own aviation technology has never really taken off and it needs not just expertise but also creation of high-level ancillary industry for this purpose.
Indianexpress Mobile- Russia offers co-production of passenger jets
Mon Dec 12 2011, 01:03 hrs
New Delhi: Ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Russia next week, Moscow has, for the first time, offered co-production of five passenger aircraft in India, including the 90-seater Sukhoi 100 Superjet. This is the first attempt at taking cooperation beyond military aviation.
Apart from the Sukhoi, the other aircraft Russia has put up on offer are — TU-204 series with a capacity of 200-plus passengers, AN-148 with seating capacity ranging from 75 to 100, MS-21 with 150-200 passenger capacity and the 70-seater BE-200, which is also used for fire-fighting, patrolling as well as search and rescue missions.
While preliminary discussions have already taken place between both sides in the run up to the visit, India has to take a call based on the assessment of its own efforts to build an indigenous civilian aircraft. The Prime Minister had set up a national task force to study the feasibility of such a project under the chairmanship of former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair. The report, which was submitted six months ago, had said that India has the capability to develop a 90-seater indigenous civilian aircraft over a period of five years at a cost of about Rs 8,300 crore. It had suggested creation of the National Civilian Aircraft Development Authority for this purpose and until then, recommended that the task force function as the coordinating body.
However, the project seems to have got caught in departmental rivalry with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) still not processing the papers for Cabinet consideration. CSIR's National Aerospace Laboratories, sources said, wants to be the nodal agency for the project while the committee had found the facility inadequate.
Russia, on the other hand, has suggested that its offer should be treated separately, on the lines of existing joint collaboration in the military field like the Brahmos venture, Sukhoi MKI and the ongoing joint efforts like building a fifth generation fighter aircraft. Co-production in India, according to Russian officials, will improve commercial prospects of these planes which are currently used by a handful of airlines in a market dominated by US and European aircraft makers.
As of now, New Delhi has agreed to carry the conversation forward and explore its commercial possibilities. Moscow is keen to elevate this to a higher level during the visit to ensure political consideration for India to enter the aviation market.
While this offer is being weighed against the project for an indigenous aircraft, officials admit that India's own aviation technology has never really taken off and it needs not just expertise but also creation of high-level ancillary industry for this purpose.
Indianexpress Mobile- Russia offers co-production of passenger jets
