MOSCOW. April 23 (Interfax-AVN) - The Aviadvigatel JS and Perm engine plant, both located in the city of Perm west of the Ural mountains, as well as the St. Petersburg-based Klimov plant and Moscow's Salyut machine-building enterprise have signed an agreement on joint participation in a competition for the development of a future aircraft engine for medium- and short- range aircraft.
"Creation of the future aircraft engine is envisaged by the federal purpose-oriented program of civil aviation development for 2002-2010 and up to 2015," Aviadvigatel Constructor General Alexander Inozemtsev told Interfax-Military News Agency on Tuesday.
The charter of the competition and technical requirements for the plane's development were to be coordinated yet in early 2002, but they have not been approved so far, he said.
According to Inozemtsev, Aviadvigatel and the Perm engine plant have applied to the Russian Aviation and Space Agency with a suggestion that the winner in the competition would team up with the loser in the implementation of the project. "Such practice exists all over the world, as development of a new aircraft engine is too costly and risky from the technical point of view," he said.
Aviadvigatel will compete for the contract for development of an engine that will power the regional plane with a capacity of 75 passengers, the constructor general went on. According to unofficial data, the competition will be announced in May or June this year.
The alliance of Snecma and Saturn companies will compete for the contract as well.
Inozemtsev said his company would submit for the competition the project elaborated in cooperation with Pratt & Whitney of the United States and MTU of Germany. A technical and commercial proposal for the Sukhoi Civil Planes JSC is being drafted; the company will coordinate development of the Russian Regional Jet (RRJ).
Terms of the competition have not been announced publicly.
"The engine that is developed in cooperation with a foreign partner must be developed in Russia as fully as possible and mass- produced in Russia as well," Inozemtsev said.