HAL, United Aircraft Corp Sign MTA Design Phase Contract

India’s state-run defense manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation and their JV-Multirole Transport Aircraft Ltd have signed the Preliminary Design Phase (PDP) Contract today in New Delhi for the Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA) project. “With this HAL and UAC-TA will start the preliminary design work immediately at Moscow. HAL design team consisting of 30 designers will be positioned at UAC-TA”, said R.K.Tyagi, Chairman of HAL. The primary objective of the project is to achieve self-reliance in design, development and production of aircraft of this size and also to manage the programme with international collaboration and large number of global suppliers, he added. An Inter Governmental Agreement was signed on November 12, 2007 to design, develop and produce the multi-role transport aircraft in the 15-20 tonne class, jointly by the Indian and Russian agencies (HAL and UAC-TAS) to meet the requirements of 100 aircraft for the Russian Air Force, 45 aircraft for the IAF and 60 for other countries. The total requirement at present is for 205 aircraft. On completion of the agreed work share of the PDP Contract in 10 months, Detail Design Phase (DDP) Contract will be signed to complete the design and development of MTA. The aircraft will be designed for cargo / troop transportation, paradrop/air drop of supplies including ‘low altitude parachute extraction system’ and is to be co-developed by HAL, UAC, and Rosoboronexport of Russia, through MTAL, according to a HAL statement. HAL will carry out the design and development of its workshare of the MTA at the Aircraft R&D Centre(ARDC) at Bangalore while its Transport Aircraft Division (TAD) at Kanpur will manufacture the prototypes and subsequently the serial production will be undertaken at Kanpur where dedicated facilities are being set up.