NEW DELHI, September 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said Monday it had started talks with Indian firms on the delivery of SuperJet-100 passenger airliners and other civil aircraft to the country. (Sukhoi SuperJet 100 - Image gallery)

The SuperJet-100 project is a family of medium-haul passenger aircraft developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau in cooperation with major U.S. and European aviation corporations, including Boeing, Snecma, Thales, Messier Dowty, Liebherr Aerospace and Honeywell.

"We have started preliminary talks with a number of Indian companies on the delivery of SuperJet-100 airliners," Alexei Fyodorov, UAC's general director, said without specifying the potential customers.

Sukhoi, which is part of the UAC, plans to manufacture at least 700 Superjet-100s, and intends to sell 35% of them to North America, 25% to Europe, 10% to Latin America, and 7% to Russia and China.

Sukhoi earlier said it had so far secured at least 100 firm orders for the aircraft.

Fyodorov, who is attending a meeting of the Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation in New Delhi, said that the Indian civil aircraft market is important for Russian manufacturers.

"The Indian civil aviation market is very attractive. It is very dynamic and has a large potential," he said.

The UAC is also holding talks with India on deliveries of the Be-200 amphibious plane for the country's coast guard.

Russia's UAC, which is 90% state owned, incorporates aircraft building companies and state assets engaged in the manufacture, design and sale of military, non-military, transport and unmanned aircraft in a bid to streamline the Russian aviation industry.

Fyodorov said UAC would open its office in India by the end of 2008.

"By the end of this year we will transform the existing office of the MiG company in India into a UAC office, which will deal with the promotion of both civil and military aircraft on the Indian market," the official said.