India, Russia ink pact to produce transport plane

India has inked a pact with Russia for setting up a joint venture to produce military multi- role transport aircraft (MTA) for their armed forces, sources said on Friday.

India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Russia's United Aircraft Corporation officials signed the joint venture agreement worth 29 billion rupees (600 million U.S. dollars) in the Indian capital on Thursday, the sources said.

The proposed aircraft would have a 20 ton payload capacity and meet the requirements of the Indian Air Force and the Russian Air Force. The two countries plan to manufacture 205 MTAs, the sources said.

The aircraft, with two engines and state-of-the-art features, is likely to have a maximum take-off weight of 65 tons touching cruise speed of 800 kmph with a 2,500 km to 2,700 km range.

Source: Xinhua