Russian ministry concentrates resources on Sukhoi SuperJet-100

The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade has suspended the disbursement of funding for the Next Generation Super Jet project until 2016 to focus on fixing problems with Sukhoi SuperJet-100 passenger plane. Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Yuri Slyusar said on Wednesday, August 14, that about four billion roubles would be earmarked for this purpose. He believes that one may like or dislike the Sukhoi SuperJet-100 project but “the future of civil aircraft construction [in Russia] largely depends on it now.” One of the tasks to be addressed by the ministry is to make the plane wanted on the domestic market. 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.