Although UAC is not participating in DefExpo, there is nevertheless a significant interest in your company in India. In this regard, how is cooperation between the UAC and India going at the moment?

Our cooperation continues. India is one of Russia’s key partners in the field of military-technical cooperation, especially in aviation. Along with the work on programmes for licensed production, repair and modernisation of Sukhoi and MiG aircraft, UAC, together with our Indian partner, HAL, is also working on other projects. Indeed, for a number of reasons, we do not take part in the DefExpo exhibition this year, but I can assure you that we will not ignore the upcoming air show in Bangalore.

Has this cooperation been affected in any way by the recent restrictions imposed against Russia?

Indeed, we are facing new challenges. This applies to external and internal markets, product demand and its structure. This also applies to the technological landscape and partnerships. This also concerns the tasks of developing enterprises in our regions of presence, as points of industrial and technological growth.
The sanctions have greatly affected the Russian air transport industry. Withdrawal of Western aircraft manufacturers from our market opens up a window of opportunity for the supply of up to 1,000 new passenger aircraft of all classes to the Russian market by 2030—not only made by UAC. This is a great opportunity, but also a serious challenge for Russian aircraft manufacturers. In this context, while increasing production capabilities, it is important for us not to limit ourselves to the domestic market.
From the point of view of developing cooperation with India, the ‘Make in India’ is not only the framework to meet the requireme