Graham Warwick / Washington DC
Long-range capability is key factor to meeting requirements of Boeing and partners
Boeing and its partners Ilyushin and Sukhoi have begun a second phase of feasibility studies into the so-called Russian Regional Jet (RRJ). The first phase, launched in June last year, was completed in December, says Tom Pickering, Boeing's senior vice-president of international relations.
The three companies are studying a twinjet RRJ design with "fewer than 100 seats and very long range" to meet Russian requirements, but are also looking at the world market for such an aircraft, says Pickering.
Joint studies cover the design, certification requirements, market potential and possible funding sources of the aircraft, and are targeted to be completed around July, he says.
Detailed plans regarding the project were unveiled last August by Sukhoi, which confirmed that a three member family was envisaged - the 55-seat RRJ-55, the 75-seat RRJ-75 and 95-seat RRJ-95.
Since then, the group has been drawing up a business development plan for the project. Service entry is slated for 2005-6.
If the RRJ programme goes ahead, Boeing would help with design, management and marketing, says Pickering. The regional jet study is one of several efforts being made to provide support to the Russian industry at the same time as the US company tries to sell aircraft to re-equip airlines such as Aeroflot. "The Russians are not yet producing suitable aircraft, so we are working to keep the industry alive," he says. Another study involves a supersonic business jet.
The US manufacturer already has contracts with four Russian design bureaux under which almost 300 Moscow-based engineers are working on parts for Boeing commercial aircraft using the CATIA computer-aided design system.
This is set to increase to 450 engineers, Pickering says. Another 350 scientists at six Russian research institutes are working on Boeing-funded projects, he says.
Source: Flight International
