India and Russia have agreed in general...
Moscow and New Delhi are expected to sign a contract on the joint development of the new fighter in the near future, focusing on the design concept and technical requirements put forward by India.
"Currently, broad areas of work sharing have been identified. Composite materials, avionics, etc. could be some of the focus areas of HAL," Ashok Nayak said in an exclusive interview with RIA Novosti.
Nayak did not specify the cost of the project but said it would be split evenly between India and Russia.
The sides agreed to develop both a single-seat and a two-seat versions of the aircraft by 2016, focusing on the single-seat version in the initial stages of development.
"Both versions will be put in service with the Indian Air Force," Nayak said.
The HAL chairman said the Indian side had already specified technical requirements for the single-seat version and passed them on to Russian manufacturers.