Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. (UAC) president Yury Slusar said at the Farnborough Airshow that the design center, which was developing new Russian-Chinese widebody aircraft, might be located in Zhukovskiy, Moscow Oblast. The final assembly will be in Shanghai, China.
In June UAC and Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) entered into a joint venture agreement to study the feasibility of designing a new widebody aircraft. The agreement stipulates the joint design, manufacture, marketing and after-sale support of the new aircraft. The Russian-Chinese JV is expected to develop a widebody family, although the number of aircraft it will include has not been disclosed.
Slusar said the cost of the project would be $13-20 billion, adding that the approximate project cost varies so much because the partners have not yet decided what to include. The partners will make investments in equal portions.
The JV has already requested engine proposals from Rolls-Royce and General Electric, which are the only two companies that can provide the necessary engine of 35,000 thrust. Slusar said Russia and China were also considering their own engine development.
The new aircraft would have a capacity of 250-300 seats and fly 12,000 km. First deliveries are expected in 2025-2027. (Russian Aviation/Business World Magazine)
