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Russia’s newest Tu-204SM plane finished electromagnetic field impact tests

The deliveries to airlines is planned to start in 2012

MOSCOW, October 22 (Itar-Tass) — Russia’s newest Tu-204SM plane has finished a series of ground tests to study the impact of high intensity electromagnetic fields.

The purpose of the tests was to study the impact of electromagnetic fields that affect avionics on modern planes. “Reliable protection from electromagnetic fields is needed for flight safety in the first place,” Tupolev said on Monday, October 22.

Tu-204SM is new medium-haul passenger aircraft in Tu-204/Tu-214 family which differs its advanced flight, technical and exploitation characteristics, gathering operating experience of previous planes in full.

The new airliner is being produced by Aviastar-SP in Ulyanovsk and has the following characteristics: maximum takeoff weight - 108 tonnes, passenger capacity - 215 seats, flight range with 215 passengers onboard – 4,800 kilometres, with 166 passengers onboard (two-class cabin configuration) – 6,100 kilometers. Designed service life of plane is 60,000 hours/45,000 flights/25 calendar years.

Tu-204SM meets Russian and international flight safety requirements, including introduced again ICAO and Eurocontrol requirements, Russian conditions established in Ar-25, harmonised with requirements on flight safety of European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The plane has modern after-sales service system. Tu-204SM aircraft is competitive counterpart to the existing foreign planes. The deliveries to airlines is planned to start in 2012.

The Tu-204SM is an in-depth modification of the Tu-204 airliner. The plane is up to present-day and potential international requirements for the safety of flight. In most characteristics, the plane is up to Boeing airliners of similar class and in some things even excels foreign analogues.

The main difference of the Tu-204SM from other airliners of the Tu-204 family is that it is fitted out with PS-90A2 engines that have characteristics that are up to world standards. The dependability of the engines is 50-100 percent higher compared to the prototype (PS-90A) while operating expenses are 35 percent lower during the entire length of operation. The ecological parameters (noise, emission of harmful substances) are up to potential international requirements.

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