Russian MS-21
Alexei Fyodorov, the CEO of the United Aircraft Building Corporation, said at the Farnborough-2008 air show in Britain that Russia may launch a joint venture with China to further develop a new passenger airliner, MS-21.
He said, ‘We will come to a decision with Chinese manufacturers next year on the possibility of setting up a joint venture to design a new mid-range passenger aircraft, MS-21.’
The MS-21 plane is being developed by Russia’s major manufacturing companies – Ilyushin, Tupolev and Yakovlev – to replace the aging Tu-154, which currently services some 80% of Russia’s passenger and freight traffic, and also the Airbus A-320 and Boeing 737 aircraft.
The new passenger jet, due to enter service in 2012, is expected to be 10-15% more efficient than the equivalent Boeing or Airbus. However, its target price will be just $35 million, $20 million below that of the similarly-sized Boeing 737-700.
The single-aisle MS-21 family of passenger aircraft is designed to seat between 150 and 220 passengers.
Source: Defense-Technology News