MOSCOW, April 18 (AVN) - The Tupolev JSO and the Defence Ministry are elaborating a preliminary agremeent on prospects of creating the new TU-330 military transport plane, Igor Shevchuk, Tupolev constructor general, told the Military News Agency on Wednesday.
If the ministry's interest towards the plane is confirmed by documents several modules will be worked out on the plane's basis, Shevchuk said. The plane has not been included in any federal programme on civil and military aircraft development so far. As to equipment, construction and power plant the plane will be 75 percent similar with the TU-204 medium-range passenger liner and is in fact, its special ramp variant.
Military transport aviation experts are studying Tupolev's proposals on creating the TU-330 plane, Lieutenant-General Viktor Denisov, commander of the 61st Air Force army, told the Military News Agency. However it is too early to speak on the further development of the project, he said. Currently the most top-priority programmes in the sphere of the aviation are IL-76MF Candid and AN-70.