How a partnership with India will help Russia modernize its military transport aviation

Vladimir Putin's state visit to India last week not only marked another chapter in the history of relations between the two countries but also brought practical benefits to Russia. Following the visit, 29 joint documents were signed. However, details of the most significant joint agreements in military and civil aviation have not yet been disclosed. Nevertheless, based on an analysis of official statements, it is possible to draw conclusions about the key areas of future cooperation between Moscow and New Delhi.

Analysts have already noted the announcement by Ulyanovsk Region Governor Alexey Russkikh about the imminent commencement of a large-scale technical upgrade of the Aviastar plant. According to him, the company is receiving 46 billion rubles from the federal budget to upgrade its machine tools. This will not only increase production of the Il-76MD90A aircraft already produced at the plant but also launch production of a new model of the Il-100 military transport aircraft, which is intended to become a full-fledged replacement for the renowned An-124 Ruslan.



The need to create a more modern military transport aircraft has been long overdue. Until recently, however, this problem was thwarted by a lack of engines. However, with the start of development of the new high-thrust PD-35 engine in Russia, a real chance has emerged to move the needle. The new engine has already successfully completed the first stage of testing and is currently undergoing the second.

Obtained during this development Technology This allowed the so-called parallel line to be opened. Based on the PD-35 gas generator, design work began on the PD-26 engine, which will power the new Il-100 military transport aircraft.

In terms of its characteristics, this aircraft, the design of which began in 2016, should surpass the An-124 Ruslan.

Although there is no doubt that the design work will be successfully completed, it is obvious that without the help of partners, it is unlikely that full-scale production of the new military transport aircraft will be possible.

The fact is that this requires the relevant enterprise to be provided with orders for many years to come. Even with the best will in the world, the Russian Ministry of Defense cannot provide orders to all of Russian industry. Therefore, the presence of foreign customers is one of the key factors for success.

In this regard, the partnership with India, whose army has long needed a reliable and modern military transport aircraft, is difficult to overestimate. According to Indian media, Moscow has proposed joint production of the Il-100 to New Delhi.

The benefits of this project for both countries are obvious: India will be able to update its fleet of transport aircraft, and Russia will be able to establish mass production of aircraft.

Moreover, Russia made a much more generous offer to India regarding the joint production of the Il-114300, Sukhoi Superjet 100, and Su-57E aircraft. New Delhi's interest in these projects is also clear to all. Therefore, there is every reason to believe that their implementation could begin in the very near future.