Seventeen companies from the Czech Aviation Manufacturers' Association (AVL) have formed a consortium to manufacture a new twin-turboprop business aircraft, writes Lubomír Sedlak.
The consortium of second-tier manufacturers, to be headed by Evektor Aerotechnik, is understood to have drawn up provisional plans for a 10- to 15-seat commuter aircraft, initially called the EV-55. The project is funded under the offset programme tied to the country's selection of the Saab/BAE Systems Gripen fighters and is likely to include expertise from Sweden and the UK.
The country's now-bankrupt national manufacturer LZ Aeronautical Industries, which builds Moravan types, is not involved in the project, neither is Ibis Aerospace joint venture shareholder Aero Vodochody. But Petr Sterba, deputy managing director of Evektor, insists that "nothing has as yet been concluded".
If the Gripen is selected, the civilian project could be funded through local industrial participation agreements, although Sterba insists that the project is not dependent on the Gripen bid winning.
AVL president Milan Holl says the association distributed hundreds of question-naires to potential customers worldwide, asking them what kind of aircraft they would be interested in. "The requirements included twin engines for reasons of safety, and a single-engine speed of around 450km/h [273kt]," he says.
Holl says a prototype could be ready in three to four years, with production in the Czech Republic and foreign manufacturers supplying equipment such as avionics. "We would need a strategic partner for marketing and for international sales," he says.
Source: Flight International
