India's HAL and Russia's UAC-TA sign transport aircraft development deal

This is good news as the An-12s are getting long in the tooth and the An-158 and other models are threatening...

BELOW TEXT REPRODUCED IN PART FROM THE "Hindu Business Line"

(1) The joint venture partners for the $600-million multi-role transport aircraft (MTA) project, Russia and India, are set to sign a contract for freezing the preliminary design for the aircraft later this week.

(2) The Russian Air Force expects to place orders for 100 of these aircraft while the Indian Air Force is likely to take 45 of them. The rest will be taken by a third party.

(3) Incidentally, the $600-million project is based on 2006 price levels when the project was first conceived. The new multi-role transport aircraft will replace the An24 and An12s.

(4) The MTAs are in the 15 tonne to 20 tonne category and have a range of 2,500 km and can fly at 800 km per hour.

(5) The joint venture is learnt to have been given a specific time-frame for freezing specifications like engine and also the systems and the basic layout apart from vendors.

(6) Priority will be given for carrying out the work in the specified time frame and also to get the right technology and work within the cost.

This development is significant because it comes at a time when UAC is seeking to create a global aerospace alliance.According to UAC's president Mikhail Pogosyan -

UAC wants to move from participation in joint projects on an individual basis to creation of a united alliance for integration into the world aerospace industry and The foremost partner could be India. Other likely candidates for the alliance could be China, Indonesia, Italy, South Africa and Ukraine