Ukraine’s Antonov aircraft manufacturing concern and the Reliance Group (India) will jointly participate in a tender to supply 200 aircraft to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, which is part of the Indian Ministry of Defense. Anil Ambani, the head of the Reliance Group, announced this during a press conference at an airport in Gostomel, on April 27, the CFTS correspondent reports.
"India has one of the largest fleets of Antonov aircraft – more than 100 – which have been in use for many years now... Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is currently inviting tenders [for supply] of more than 200 aircraft," Ambani said.
The exact date of the tender and the deadline for applications have not yet been determined.
Yesterday, 27 April, Antonov and Reliance Defense (a subsidiary of the Reliance Group) signed a memorandum on joint participation in the tender announced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. According to this document, the Ukrainian-Indian consortium will establish joint production of aircraft based on the An-148 family of aircraft, which includes the An-158 and An-178 aircraft, if it wins the tender. Assembly and manufacture of some of the parts for the aircraft are expected to take place in India. The proportion of Indian components may increase over time.
The Indian media recently reported that Antonov and the Reliance Group had signed an agreement on establishment of cooperation.
