Paul Duffy/MOSCOW
Development of Tupolev's short-fuselage version of the Tu-204 has been resurrected, with the much-delayed first flight expected to take place by the middle of this year.
The 160-seat twinjet - designated the Tu-234 (or Tu-204-300) - has been under development since the early 1990s and is approaching flight status. Lev Lanovski, chief designer of the Tu-204 family, says the first aircraft should get airborne "early this summer".
The Aviadvigatel PS-90-powered Tu-234 is 6m (20ft) shorter than the Tu-204 from which it is derived, with the fuselage reduced by 3m forward and aft of the wing. The first production Tu-234 airframe was built at Aviastar's factory at Ulyanovsk in 1996, but completion was suspended. The aircraft is being prepared for its first flight. A second Tu-234, converted from a prototype Tu-204-100 in 1995, has never flown since modification.
The aircraft is designed as a replacement on long thin routes for the four-engined Ilyushin Il-62. The baseline Tu-234 has the same 103t (227,000lb) maximum take-off weight (MTOW) as the Tu-204-100/120, giving it a range of 9,250km (5,000nm). Lanovski says that a lighter short-range version, with an 89t MTOW, has been studied which would be able to fly 3,500km. A cargo version, the Tu-234C, will also be offered.
As the aircraft is closely related to the standard Tu-204-100, the Aviation Register of the Russian certification authority MAK has agreed to use many of the Tu-204's tests for the Tu-234's validation. As a result, just 50h of additional testing will be required.
Production of new Tu-204-100/120s at Aviastar has been in limbo for the past three years, as the plant concentrated on completing aircraft already in manufacture. Recent orders and commitments have seen the backlog almost cleared, resulting in a decision to re-open the line.
The new commitments include 13 Tu-204-100s - 10 for Transaero (Flight International, 25-31 January), one for KMV-Kavkazii Mineralnie Vodi and two -100C freighters for UK-based cargo operator Air REP - and three Rolls-Royce RB211-powered Tu-204-120s for leasing company Sirocco Aerospace International.
Moscow-based Aviaexpresscruise is believed to have a Tu-204-100 on order for delivery this year. Meanwhile, Novosibirsk-based Sibir has acquired a seven-year-old example on lease from engine builder Perm Motors.
Development of the Kazan-built Tu-214 variant is proceeding, with the aircraft recently receiving its initial Russian certification. The aircraft, which has an MTOW of 110t, is expected to receive full certification this year.
Source: Flight International
