MOSCOW. March 25 (Interfax-AVN) - The first serially manufactured Russian Regional Jets (RRJ) will be delivered to customers in late 2007 or early 2008, Mikhail Pogosyan, director of the Sukhoi aviation holding company, told reporters on Friday.
"We are going to deliver first serial aircraft to customers in late 2007 or early 2008," Pogosyan said at the ceremony of signing an agreement between Sukhoi and four largest Russian banks, namely Vneshtorgbank, Vneshekonombank, Savings Bank and Roseksimbank. He added that the RRJ program is making dynamic progress.
The Komsomolsk-on-Amur aircraft production association and the Novosibirsk aircraft production association have started to manufacture parts and elements of the RRJ.
According to Pogosyan, the first experimental RRJ will lift off in November 2006. The flight test program will be very dynamical. "Six aircraft will be built for tests, including four for flight tests, one for bench tests and one for service life tests," he said.
The development of the SaM146 engine to propel the aircraft is also in full swing, the director noted. The engine is being developed by the Rybinsk based Saturn research and production association in cooperation with French Snecma Moteurs. "I am optimistic about the rates of the engine development," he said.
According to Pogosyan, the negotiations with potential clients are also underway. A number of contracts with Russian air carriers have been signed. For instance, there are plans that Siberia Airlines will be the first large operator of the RRJ, as it placed an order for 50 new aircraft. About 20 more RRJs will be sold to Utair, with another seven aircraft to the Russian Post Agency.
Memorandums of intentions have been duly signed with all the customers mentioned.
Also, negotiations are being conducted with Air France and some other foreign clients.
Pogosyan added that the RRJ program will pay off entirely by 2011. He did not reject the opportunity that some other countries will join the program, for instance, India. According to him, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. is a possible candidate for joining the project.
According to preliminary reports, the price of a baseline RRJ will be about $25 million. Apart from Sukhoi, the program involves the Yakovlev design bureau, the Ilyushin aircraft corporation and U.S. Boeing.
The new family of regional aircraft is expected to include three baseline configurations, intended to transport from 60 to 95 people.