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| Image: Wiki Commons |
By Franz-Stefan Gady
India and Russia recently failed to agree on moving forward on a joint air transport project.
A joint Indo-Russian project to develop a new medium-airlift military transport aircraft, the UAC/HAL II-214 Multi-role Transport Aircraft (MTA), is “almost shelved,” according to an Indian Defense Ministry source interviewed by Defense News.
The recent December 23 meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to break the “stalemate” over the MTA program, a joint venture for which both countries have co-founded a new company, the Multi Role Transport Aircraft Ltd., established by Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), both of which invested $300 million in the project.
The new transport plane was expected to enter service by 2019. India was planning to purchase 45 and Russia around 100 aircraft. However, as of now, even the detailed design phase has not been worked out between UAC and HAL, despite a signed May 2012 general contract for the development of the aircraft.
“The transport aircraft [project] may be shelved because of three reasons. One is engine and secondly there are some internal conflicts in Russia between various stakeholders which is not allowing the desired progress. Thirdly, life of the AN-32 has been extended and the aircraft (upgraded),” according to a senior Indian Air Force official speaking to Defense News on the condition of anonymity.
Read the full story at The Diplomat