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Russia, India to Accelerate Takeoff of Cargo Jet
Russia’s weapons exporting monopoly Rosoboronexport and Indian Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd (HAL) will ink in April an $8.5-million direct contract for developing a draft design of the multirole transport aircraft (MTA). The purpose to attain is to accelerate by a year the project, which budget is estimated at $600 million. The analysts speculate that the worth of the project will be much greater than the estimated amount and its implementation by MAK Ilyushin is one of the risks.
According to sources with United Aircraft Corp., a delegation of Indian HAL arrives in Moscow next week to study the draft design of Russia’s version of multirole transport aircraft, Il-214.
“In February, we agreed with India not to wait for creating a joint venture – with our and Indian bureaucracy it will take exactly a year - but sign in April a direct intermediate contract of HAL and Rosoboronexport for elaborating the MTA draft design,” said MAK Ilyushin General Director Viktor Livanov. “The contract budget is about $8.5 million; the draft is to be elaborated in two years. The plans are that the jet takes off in 2013 and is certified in 2015.”
People in United Aircraft Corp. hope that direct contract will set into motion the MTA program that is seven years behind the initial plans, fueling it to the implementation stage at last. MAK Ilyushin stakes on having no less than 250 jets in the plane’s order portfolio. Given that the declared cost of each jet ranges from $35 million to $40 million, the overall amount could be some $10 billion.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Mar. 20, 2008
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