New superjet tested in Arkhangelsk
Russia’s new Sukhoi Superjet 100 this week arrived in Arkhangelsk for test flying. The 90-seat aircraft, which is designed to replace the ageing Tu-154 and Tu-134, will be tested under the harsh weather conditions of the Russian North.
A total of 15 test flights are to be conducted in Arkhangelsk Oblast and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug. –We need some bad weather, pilot Leonid Chikunov told newspaper Pravda Severa. The aircraft is to be tested under icy conditions.
Several companies have submitted orders on the new aircraft. Among them is regional company Aeroflot Nord which from next year on intends to acquire 15 new SSJ-100s. The new aircrafts are to replace the company’s ageing Tu-134s and Tu-154s. Aeroflot Nord also has a fleet of Boeing-737s.
According to Wikipedia, the first SSJ-100s will be delivered to customers the third quarter of 2009. The aircraft is a modern, fly-by-wire regional jet. It will be produced by aerospace firm Sukhoi’s civil division, of which Finmeccanica of Italy owns 25 percent
