IRKUTSK. Jan 20 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian research and production corporation Irkut from Irkutsk and the Indian corporation Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) plan to sign a contract on launching a full-scale project to build a multifunctional transportation aircraft on the basis of the IL- 214, Irkut spokesman Vitaly Zelenkov told Interfax on Monday.
The contract should be signed at an aerospace exhibition in India's Bangalore in February 2003, Zelenkov said. An agreement to this effect was reached when Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes recently visited Irkut.
During the visit, Indian Defense Ministry officials and the Irkut management also discussed joint projects of supplying SU- 30MKI multifunctional fighters to the Indian Air Force and licensed production of these planes at HAL's enterprises. In addition, Fernandes studied the production of aircraft, in particular, the SU-30MKI and BE-200 amphibian, at the Irkutsk corporation.
The first batch of 10 SU-30MKI planes was delivered to India in 2002. Irkut will deliver two more batches of the SU-30MKI in the future. One batch consisting of 12 pieces will be shipped this year and the other one of 10 pieces in 2004.