China, Russia to build long-haul airliner
China and Russia plan to develop a wide-bodied airliner before the end of the year, the president of Russia's state-controlled United Aircraft Corporation has said.
Yury Slyusar, quoted by the China Daily, said the two countries will sign an agreement for the joint development of the jet which they have been considering since May 2014.
The deal between United Aircraft and state-controlled Commercial Aircraft Corp of China will initially outline profit sharing and responsibilities. Technical requirements will be decided on by March next year, Slyusar said.
According to Reuters, the joint project could give both China and Russia a chance to compete in the wide-body segment which is a monopoly of Europe's Airbus and US rival Boeing.
“So far, the project has proceeded well, and we plan to determine the technical requirements, specifications and outsourcing methods in March,” Slyusar said.
The new plane will be able to carry between 210 and 350 passengers, depending on the seating configuration. This would put it in competition with the Boeing’s 777 and 787 and Airbus’ A330 and A350 models.
Slyusar said the jet will be developed from scratch, rejecting speculation that the aircraft could be an upgraded version of the Russian-made Ilyushin Il-96 aircraft.
He was speaking on the sidelines of Aviation Expo China 2015 in Beijing, which United Aircraft used to display its new single-aisle passenger aircraft, the Sukhoi Superjet 100.
The Sputnik news agency quoted Slyusar as saying earlier this year that Russia and China would invest $13 billion in developing the new long-haul aircraft
China, he said, would be responsible for the main fuselage and Russia developing the wings and tail sections.
China is currently developing its own domestic passenger aircraft. The ARJ 21 is due to launch later this year, and the single-aisle C919 is scheduled to enter service in 2018.
United Aircraft launched the Sukhoi Superjet 100 in 2011. The company incorporates most of Russia’s major aviation brands, including Sukhoi, Ilyushin and Tupolev.
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