Pawan Hans has placed a substantial ₹1,800-crore deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the delivery of ten Dhruv-NG helicopters.
India’s helicopter manufacturing industry will benefit from this sophisticated version of HAL’s domestically designed Dhruv platform, which improves capabilities across civil, defense, and utility operations.
Concurrently, HAL and Russia’s PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) have formed a joint venture to produce the Sukhoi SJ-100 Superjets. Over 200 SJ-100s, a twin-engine, narrow-body regional passenger aircraft, are now in commercial service with 16 carriers worldwide.
HAL is granted the right to manufacture the SJ-100 for domestic use in India under this arrangement. This is important because India, one of the aviation markets with the fastest rate of growth in the world, needs more than 200 regional jets to provide connectivity over the next ten years.
The collaboration expands upon a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the production of the civil commuter SJ-100 that HAL and UAC inked in October of last year. According to HAL, the aircraft has the potential to revolutionize short-haul routes under India’s UDAN regional connectivity initiative.
The agreement gives HAL a manufacture and sales license and formalizes its role in locally certifying the SJ-100. In order to modify HAL’s facilities for production, UAC will provide technical support, design services, and professional help.
Separately, UAC has concluded an agreement to provide six Ilyushin Il-114-300 aircraft to India’s Flamingo Aerospace. This agreement was signed in Hyderabad at the Wings India 2026 International Aviation Exhibition.
According to UAC’s announcement, the collaboration is intended to meet India’s growing regional aviation needs. It contains a plan for Flamingo to develop aviation skills in infrastructure, assembly, modification, maintenance, repair, and overhaul.
These deals highlight Russia’s increasing contribution to supporting India’s aircraft production sector. In light of the growing need for regional air travel, they support India’s drive for domestic production and self-sufficiency in the aerospace sector.
HAL’s position in rotary-wing aircraft is further strengthened by Pawan Hans’ Dhruv-NG order. These helicopters will be used for a variety of tasks by Pawan Hans, a state-owned helicopter service provider, increasing operational flexibility.
With the ability to generate jobs, transfer knowledge, and assist India’s aviation infrastructure objectives, these agreements signify strengthening Indo-Russian aerospace cooperation.
