Roy's Russian Aircraft Resource

Date Posted 10 July 2009

Chile to Continue Negotiations with Russia for Helicopter Purchase

((Disappointing the U.S., who wants to sell the Latin American country S-70A "Black Hawks," Chile is looking more closely at the purchase of five Mi-17-V5 from Russia, according to Carolina Toha, an official of the Chilean government. Not further translated.))

Source: 10.07.09, Avia.RU

First An-148 Airplane Preparing for Flight Tests

The first Russian built Antonov-148 type airplane, registration number RA-61701, has been towed from the final assembly shop to the OAO Voronezh Joint Stock Airplane Building Company (VASO) flight test station's flight line. Before towing, the aircraft was check weighed to confirm the weight of the empty airplane was within the range of the specifications, on the order of 21 tonnes.

At the present time, RA-61701 is being prepared for its first flight within the framework of the factory test program. It is supposed to take place before the end of July. Work is continuing in the final assembly shop on the next two An-148-100V airplanes.

They are intended for the initial customer, the Rossiya State Transport Company, who, during MAKS-2007, placed a firm order for six aircraft with cabins for 68 passengers in business and economy class. At the present time, work is underway for transforming an option for six more aircraft into a firm contract. Start of An-148 manufacture and the production of its first series-built example at VASO marks the Russian aircraft industry's transition to a new technological level corresponding to the highest world standards.

Source: 10.07.09, Avia.RU

Date Posted 09 July 2009

Indian Air Force Increasing Purchases of Su-30MKI Fighters

India's government plans to have 230 multirole Su-30MKI Russian developed fighters by 2015 despite an incident that happened with the airplane nearly 2 months ago, as Lenta.RU reports referring to the Deccan Herald ((in English)), India's defense minister, A.K. Antony made the announcement.

As the publication recalls, in 1996, India signed a contract with the Russian Federation for 1.46 billion dollars which provided for the purchase of 40 Su-30 fighters and also the transfer of technologies for the manufacture of 140 airplanes by the Indian company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ((in English)). The airplanes were upgraded to the Su-30MKI level later.

We note that on 30 April 2009, the first crash of this airplane occurred in the history of the Indian air force in the western Indian state of Rajastan. A pilot of the country's air force died as a result of the incident. Because of the accident, Su-30MKI flights in India were halted approximately for a month; however, experts later concluded that the crash occurred because of pilot error and not a technical defect.

Source: 09.07.09, Avia.RU

Russia to Resume "Ruslan" Production

Production of the largest commercial transport in the world, the An-124-100 "Ruslan," will resume in Russia in the very near future, it was said at a meeting at the Ul'yanovsk Aviastar-SP aircraft building plant, RIA Novosti reports.

The exact time for resumption of "Ruslan" production still has not been named. A decision was adopted at the meeting about how to prepare the necessary documentation more quickly and transfer it to the government so that financing of the project can be included in the Russian budget for 2010.

It is assumed that resumption of An-124-100 production will help create more than 2,300 new jobs at Aviastar-SP. Moreover, they will be able to obtain an additional four billion rubles in budgets of all levels thanks to this project.

The largest cargo airplane in the world was developed in the USSR at the end of the 1970s and has been produced in Ul'yanovsk and Kiev. The "Ruslan" made its first flight in 1982. In all, 56 such airplanes were produced.

It is worth noting that in April of last year, the then Russian prime minister, Viktor Zubkov, announced that Russia and Ukraine again would begin production of "Ruslans" in the third quarter 2008. Moreover, plans for resumption of An-124-100 production were talked about in 2005 and 2006.

Source: 09.07.09, Lenta.RU
Date Posted 07 July 2009

Air Force to Receive 50 Newest Su-35 Multirole Fighters before 2015

The Russian Federation defense ministry has adopted a decision to purchase 48 Su-35 multirole fighters for the air force, a highly placed representative of the Russian military authority reported, the Interfax agency reports.

"We are ordering 48 of the newest Su-35 fighters from the Sukhoy company. They will be adopted into the inventory before 2015. It is planned that deliveries will start as early as 2011," the agency source reported.

He noted that it is planned to announced the contract officially on one of the first days of the operation of the MAKS-2009 International Air and Space Salon which will take place from 18 through 23 August in the Moscow suburb of Zhukovskiy.

Source: 07.07.09, Avia.RU

Date Posted 06 July 2009

An-148-200 Flight Tests Begin Next Year

The Antonov Aviation Scientific and Engineering Complex is reequipping a second experimental An-148 into the lengthened An-148-200 version, Interfax reports.

"One may expect that the An-148-200 will be built at the end of this year, but flight and certification tests of this aircraft will begin at the beginning of next year," the deputy general director and technical director of the Il'yushin Finans Ko leasing company, Yuriy Ostrovskiy, reported to Interfax-AVN.

The An-148-200 is meant for the transport of up to 99 passengers in a single-class cabin to a range up to 2,500 kilometers.

The Aehrosvit (Ukraine) airline is the airplane's initial customer, having signed contract for the delivery of five An-148-100 and five An-148-200 airplanes.

Specialists estimate the size of the market for An-148-200 types of airplanes at approximately 200 aircraft for the period to 2015.

Source: 06.07.09, Avia.RU

First Example of Ka-62 Helicopters Should Be Assembled by Beginning of 2010 - Managing Director of AAK Progress

((The Ka-62 is a high-speed, multirole helicopter for civil operators intended for haul of passengers and cargo, including suspended loads. Not further translated.))

Source: 06.07.09, Avia.RU

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