MOSCOW, April 19 (AVN) - The Russian Aviation and Space Agency has approved the programme on creating the flying laboratory to conduct experiments and tests to put into practice alternative kinds of fuel like liquefied natural gas and hydrogen for aircraft, a spokesman for the agency told the Military News Agency on Thursday.
As many as RUR5.5m (USD190,291) will be allocated to the programme's implementation from the federal budget. The money will be mainly spent to complete the design documentation workout. The federal budget also envisages allocation of RUR17m (USD588,174) to create the landing site on the site of the TU-155 experimental plane equipped with the cryogenic system.
Particularly, the plane is planned to be equipped with the NK-89 cryogenic fuel tank and engine working with kerosene as well as with natural gas. After the stand tests the completed cryogenic system with two tanks will be mounted on TU-155. The total sum for the five year project will amount at some RUR200m (USD6.91m). Almost 70 percent of the programme will be financed by the Russian Aviation and Space Agency while the rest will be covered by the Tupolev JSO and the Samara-based Kuznetsov research and technical centre.