KOMSOMOLSK-ON-AMUR, December 8 (AVN) - The local Gagarin aircraft plant has assembled the fist S-80 multi-purpose plane, a plant administration spokesman said on Wednesday.
The new aircraft will soon be transported to the town of Zhukovsky near Moscow where it will undergo flight tests in late December. They will be effected by pilots of the Sukhoi company's testing and development base.
S-80 is intended for patrol and transport missions. It can be used at unprepared airfields, including unpaved ones, and under the temperatures ranging from 50 degrees below zero Celcius to 45 degrees above zero. Its flight range is 650 kilometres with 3,500-kg load and 2,250 kilometres with 1,950-kg load. The aircraft can carry up to 26 passengers.