At Farnborough International 2004, Russian military aircraft manufacturer
Sukhoi (Hall 1, Stand E9) is focusing on civil projects, for the
first time rolling out a full-size cabin mockup of its ambitious
Russian Regional Jet (RRJ). Launch orders for the RRJ family of
60- to 95-seat airliners are reportedly to be announced during the
show.
The RRJ project, launched five years ago, is widely regarded as
the last chance for the Russian aviation industry to establish its
position in the global civil aircraft market. It gathered pace in
2001 when Boeing joined the program as a major partner, providing
development know-how and marketing support. In 2003 the RRJ was
declared winner of the Russian Aviation & Space Agency's tender
for 200 new regional jetliners.
The RRJ family includes 60-, 75- and 95-seat baseline and long-range
versions based on common airframe components, major systems and
Snecma/NPO Saturn SM146 turbofans of 14,000- to 16,000-pounds-thrust
(62 to 71 kN).
Wide-ranging international cooperation on the RRJ is a prime focus
for Sukhoi's general director Mikhail Pogosyan, and for the first
time in Russia, the Sukhoi-led design team has brought potential
customers into the aircraft's design and development processes.
Last month, India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited showed interest
in the project, hinting at the possibility of joint production.
But Pogosyan promises that 70% RRJ components will be produced in
Russia—an approach that will make the aircraft 10-15% cheaper
than its foreign competitors.
This past spring the RRJ passed a major milestone in the run-up
to full-scale development when preliminary design review and configuration
freeze were completed, but Sukhoi still needs to secure sources
of funding to start detailed design. Sukhoi will soon form a pool
of launch customers with combined firm orders for 40 to 60 RRJs—the
minimum needed to ensure the commercial production by 2006. Though
not yet finalized, unit price is not expected to exceed €24.3
million ($30 million).
But even with airlines' orders in hand, pre-financing from carriers
may not be sufficient to breathe life into the project. So Sukhoi
is looking for financial backup from the Russian government to develop
leasing schemes for RRJ, and at the same time is trying to attract
business jet operators by announcing a business jet version.
The RRJ is to be produced at Sukhoi's manufacturing facilities
in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and Novosibirsk, with a projected annual rate
of 60 airframes. Sukhoi is working with the Komsomolsk-based KnAAPO
plant to set up an RRJ-95 final assembly line, while the NAPO plant
in Novosibirsk will manufacture fuselages and perform final assembly
on the RRJ-60 and RRJ-75.
The cabin mockup exhibited here at Farnborough was created by B/E
Aerospace, one of the 16 Western suppliers enrolled in RRJ program.
