ZHUKOVSKY, Moscow Region, August 24 (Itar-Tass) - Contracts for Sukhoi SuperJet-100 and MS-21 passenger planes are expected to be signed at the MAKS-2013 air show to be held in Zhukovsky outside Moscow from August 27 until September 1.
“Traditionally, aircraft supply contracts will be signed… I can say that we expect additional contracts to be signed for SuperJet-100 and MS-21 aircraft,” Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said on Saturday, August 24.
He said the Russian companies Ilyushin Finance and VEB Leasing would sign the contracts for concrete customers that are waiting for the planes.
The minister did not specify the value of the deals to be made at the air show.
Sukhoi SuperJet-100 is a regional 100-seat plane designed and made by Sukhoi Civil Aircraft in cooperation with Alenia Aermacchi. Its basic version can fly for a distance of up to 3,048 kilometres. An increased range is 4,578 kilometres. The company plans to start making a long-range version of the plane from 2013 and to offer a business version of the plane in 2015. It may be of interest to Middle East countries.
The SuperJet, the first new Russian passenger plane over the past 20 years, is being created through unprecedentedly broad international cooperation that involves more than 30 major international aerospace companies, system and component suppliers. Sukhoi SuperJet-100 integrates the world’s best industry practices and solutions.
Sukhoi SuperJet-100 integrates the world’s best industry practices and solutions. All aircraft will be certified in accordance with both Russian and international requirements. SSJ100's technical and operational performance make the product fully marketable and capable of taking a solid share in the highly competitive global market. Thus, Sukhoi expects to sell 800 aircraft until the year 2024, while the global demand for the aircraft of this class totals 5,400. So far the company had secured 73 solid orders for the aircraft.
SuperJet-100 will in the future provide the basis for a whole family of planes, including transport and special purpose planes. However now the main goal is the certification of the plane and serial production of 60-70 planes annually.
The Sukhoi SuperJet-100 family consists of two types of aircraft of basic and increased flying ranges with the carrying capacity of 75 and 95 passengers respectively.
The SuperJet-100 aircraft got in the focus of public attention after one of the planes had crashed in Indonesia in May 2012, killing 45 people, including eight Russians. The accident was blamed on the pilot’s error.
Sukhoi Civil Aircraft intends to supply 30 SSJ-100 planes in 2013, including 12 to Sky Aviation (Indonesia), 3 to Lao Central (Laos), to Interjet (Mexico) and to Yakutia (Russia). About 20 planes were delivered in 2012, including to Aeroflot.
The MS-21 programme is a project launched by the United Aircraft Corporation. Irkut Corporation is the principal contractor.
Russia’s new MS-21 passenger plane will go on its maiden flight in the middle of 2015, the chairman of Irkut’s Board of Directors, Alexei Fyodorov, said earlier.
Eighty-five planes will be supplied to Russian Technologies. Of those 50 will go to Aeroflot (with Pratt & Whitney engines) and the remaining 35 (with PD-14 engines) to other Russian airlines where the federal government has a large participatory interest.
Negotiations are underway to supply MS-21 planes to foreign airlines. “There are 185 orders, including 113 firm ones, and the rest are options. And about 70 protocols of intents have been signed,” Fyodorov said.
About 50 percent of the plane will be made of composite materials.
MS-21 planes will have a wider body for the comfort of passengers. They will have a better wing sweep to increase safety during landings and takeoffs. The wings will be a bit thicker in order to take on more fuel, which will allow the planes to travel greater distances.
The Yakovlev Design Bureau is the principal designer of the MS-21 plane. It is working under the federal programme "Development of Civil Aircraft in Russia". The state contractor is the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The MS-21 aircraft has been developed on the basis of Yak-242 type by the Yakovlev Design Bureau in association with the llyushin Aviation Complex. The MS-21 airplane has been readily embraced by the aircraft market since it meets all the requirements and can compete against similar Boeing and Airbus aircraft, outdoing them in price, fuel efficiency and passenger comfort.
The MS-21 aircraft is to replace all models of Tu-154B and Tu-154M aircraft as well as Yak-42 in Russia. It is planned to build around 600 aircraft of the MS-21 family within 20 years, with an annual production rate of 30 to 36 machines.