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Russian minister: Sino-Russian aircraft will have fuel efficiency advantage

Availability of the Chinese market became the main criteria of entering the project, Manturov said adding that Russia and China have been dealing with this project since 2009

SHANGHAI, November 2. /TASS/. The Sino-Russian wide-body long range aircraft planned to be developed by 2025-2027 should have an advantage versus its competitors from Boeing and Airbus on account of fuel efficiency, Russian Minister of Industry Denis Manturov said on Wednesday.

"It [the aircraft] should be more economically efficient and have fuel efficiency in the first instance. To this end, we agreed with [Chinese] colleagues to jointly develop a heavy -duty engine," Manturov said.

Russia does not have such an engine for the time being but it started domestic development of PD-35 engine. Transfer of technologies from combat to civil aviation is possible in Russia’s United Engine Corporation in terms of engine production, the minister emphasized. 

"We are ready to continue this project in cooperation with colleagues, the Chinese united engine-making corporation, in order to add maximal performance to the wide-body aircraft," the minister has noted.

Availability of the China market became the main criteria of entering the project, Manturov said. Russia and China have been dealing with this project since 2009. The partners "sustained two crises and precisely understand now the category, the seating capacity, and the range of the aircraft to be developed," the minister explained. 

"We mastered competencies and supported development of 16 critical technologies making possible for us to participate in this project by process solutions over that time. Project phases will be completed by 2025, when we are to receive the certificates - Russian, Chinese and hopefully international, and enter the market," Manturov added.