Russia is in talks with its Indian partners on starting Il-114-300 aircraft deliveries in 2028, Vadim Badekha, CEO of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC, part of Rostec), told Russian reporters on the sidelines of the Wings India air show, where a preliminary agreement for the delivery of six such aircraft was signed.

"Considering the extremely high demand dynamics in the Indian market, our partners want very tight timelines for deliveries from us. Currently, we are discussing the start of deliveries in 2028," he said.

According to him, UAC is successfully competing with global Western aircraft manufacturers.

"The signed agreement proves that our technology is not only equal to, but superior to, foreign counterparts. The key factor in our success is the fact that the aircraft we are presenting here are entirely developed and manufactured in a single country. This is extremely important given that no third country will stand between us and our Indian partners," Badekha noted.

As the head of UAC pointed out, at this exhibition, Russia proved to its competitors that it can independently produce civilian aircraft.

"We opened all the cowlings and showed that there wasn't a single foreign badge. This commands enormous respect, including from our competitors. None of them have the technology that allows for the complete manufacture of an aircraft in a single country," he added.

Badekha said that India needs "hundreds" of aircraft. "We understand that we must primarily meet the needs of the domestic market, but we must not forget the global market, including in terms of maintaining competitiveness," he said.

"To meet this demand, we are counting on industrial cooperation with India," the head of UAC concluded.