A feasibility study of the Russian-Chinese project to design a long-rang plane will be submitted to the governments of the two countries by late August. At present, an evaluation of its main parameters is underway, an official at the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade told ITAR-TASS on Tuesday.
The agreement on designing a passenger plane was signed by Russia’s Unified Aircraft Corporation and the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China during Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s visit to China in May. An airliner with a capacity to carry 250 to 300 people should rival planes by other manufacturers and take a considerable market niche not only in Russia and China, but also in other countries.
“We’re hoping that Russia and China will invest equally in the project and carry intellectual expenses,” Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov noted. “We see such new projects as a good basis for active involvement of our suppliers and producers of electronic equipment, aircraft systems and unit assemblies.”
“We assume that to make a competitive product, it is necessary to make use of modern technological solutions existing in both countries,” Manturov said.
A source at the Unified Aircraft Corporation said Russia was ready to propose participation in designing an engine using newest know-how and technologies developed in the PD-14 bypass turbofan engine project.