MOSCOW. Oct 2 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia's Smolensk Aircraft Plant might cancel the M-55 high-altitude aircraft assembly line, a competent source in the Russian defense industry told Interfax- Military News Agency Thursday.
"The Board of Directors of the Smolensk Aircraft Plant has applied to the Russian Defense Ministry and Myasishchev Experimental Plant for the cancellation of the M-55 high-altitude aircraft assembly line," the source said.
According to the source, the plant almost completed two M-55 airframes several years ago, while in the mid-1990s the construction of the planes was suspended.
If the line is cancelled, the source said, these two airframes will be scrapped.
The Defense Ministry has not yet agreed to the participation of the M-55 Geofizika experimental plane in the study of high atmosphere in Brazil, the source went on.
"The M-55 Geofizika aircraft was expected to make research flights in Brazil in January and February 2004. However, the Russian Air Force has not allowed it to participate in the project, although the aircraft has been involved in international research since 1995," the source said.
The M-55, created as a high-altitude surveillance aircraft, can carry up to 1,500kg of specialized equipment at an altitude up to 21.5km.