Article Posted on : - Dec 17, 2011

Prime MinisterManmohan Singh and Russian President Medvedev during a meeting in Moscow on Friday. PTI Photo.

MOSCOW (PTI): Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday offered joint development of civilian aircraft with India, saying the two nations could benefit in this from the accumulated experience in the development and production of combat jets.

"I discussed the idea of shifting our successful experience in the field of military aircraft to the civilian aviation, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last year (during New Delhi visit)," Medvedev said.

The two leaders were addressing the CEO's of top Indian and Russian companies after their Kremlin summit today.

"Now we are moving towards implementing this idea, at least I hope so," Medvedev said.

India and Russia have jointly developed Sukhoi Su-30MKI combat aircraft and are involved in the developing Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft and Multi-role Transport Aircraft (MTA) for the military.

Earlier, Vice Premier Sergei Ivanov said Russia was offering joint production of new generation of civil aircraft including Sukhoi Superjet-100 regional jet and futuristic MS-21 medium haul aircraft.

Russia's Irkutsk-based (Siberia) Irkut Aircraft Corporation is the main producer of Sukhoi Su-30MKI combat jets, tailored to meet Indian Air Force's requirements in the coming decades. Now it is developing the MS-1 passenger aircraft of the 21st century.

It's CEO Alexei Fyodorov, who has been linked to all major projects for the development and licensed production combat jets with India, believes that India has the intellectual and industrial potential for co-developing and producing this wide-body futuristic aircraft.