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Sukhoi Superjet has first landing in Moscow
  • The Sukhoi Superjet-100 plane has performed its first passenger flight by the Armavia airline on the Yerevan-Moscow route. The aircraft with 90 passengers on board landed successfully at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport, according to the airport's media service.

    The plane named in honour of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin landed in Moscow at 04:45 msk with more than 90 passengers aboard.

    On April 12, 2011, the airport got permission from the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) to receive and service of aircraft of the Superjet type and its modifications. “The permission confirms that all the airport’s units are ready for servicing the aircraft,” the airport officials specified. The Sukhoi Superjet-100 is a regional 100-seat new generation jetliner, developed and manufactured by Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company with the participation of Alenia Aeronautica. On May 19, 2008 the new aircraft performed its first technical flight. On April 19, 2011 the first serial jetliner was transferred to the Armenian airline Armavia for exploitation.

    The Sukhoi Superjet-100 is a modern, fly-by-wire regional jet in the 75- to 95-seat category. The Superjet-100 will be produced by Russian aerospace firm Sukhoi’s civil division, of which Finmeccanica of Italy owns 25 percent. The jet airliner is being developed in collaboration with Finmeccanica subsidiary Alenia Aeronautica. The Italian design group Pininfarina will design optional interiors, and in 2007 Alenia Aeronautica and Sukhoi Holding formed SuperJet International, a joint venture (51 percent – Alenia Aeronautica, and 49 percent – Sukhoi Holding) based in Venice, responsible for marketing, sales and aircraft delivery in Europe, North and South America, Africa, Japan and Oceania as well as for worldwide logistic support for the Superjet-100.

    In the Russian domestic market, the Sukhoi Superjet-100 (SSJ) is intended to replace the ageing Tupolev Tu-134 and Yakovlev Yak-42 planes. Internationally, the new plane will compete against the Embraer E-Jets and the Bombardier CRJ programmes. The SSJ aims for lower operating costs than its competitors for the price of $31.7 million. According to Sukhoi, ongoing certification tests are confirming that the aircraft's direct operating costs are 6-8 percent lower than those of its key competitor, the Embraer 190/195.

    The plane's design meets the specific requirements of airlines in Russia, the CIS, the USA, and the EU, and conforms to the Aviation Rules AP-25, FAR-25, JAR-25 requirements, and to the ground noise level requirements under ICAO Chapter 4 and FAR 36 Section 4 standards entering into force during 2006.

    The Superjet uses PowerJet SaM146 turbofan engines developed by PowerJet that provide 62 to 77.8KN of thrust (6,300 to 7,900 kgf). The noise and emissions levels satisfy the existing ICAO requirements.

    The Superjet-100 has been described as the most important and successful civil aircraft programme of the Russian aerospace industry. It enjoys considerable support from the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, which regards it as a top priority project. Over 30 foreign partnership companies are involved in the project. Development, manufacturing and marketing of the aircraft's SaM146 jet engine is being done by the PowerJet company, a joint-venture between the French Snecma and Russia's NPO Saturn. SuperJet International, a joint venture between Alenia Aeronautica and Sukhoi is responsible for marketing in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Japan and Oceania.

    The assembly line for all versions of the Superjet is located in the facilities of Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association (KnAAPO) in the Russian Far East, while Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association (NAPO) focuses on component production. The two companies have been heavily investing in upgrading of their facilities, and are expected to produce 70 airframes by 2012.

    In September 2010, the CEO of SuperJet International said that certification was expected in November 2010. In October 2010, the Sukhoi Superjet-100 (SN95004) passed noise testing carried out under the auspices of Russian and European certification authorities (AR IAC and EASA respectively).

    On December 21, 2010, Superjet 100 passed emergency evacuation and interrupted takeoff tests at Ramenskoye Airport near Zhukovsky, near Moscow, under the supervision of the Interstate Aviation Committee Aviation Register (AR IAC) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The first test required 98 volunteers of different age groups and five crewmembers to evacuate the aircraft in 90 seconds during an emergency landing. They made it in 73 seconds. The interrupted takeoff test probed the wheels, tires and brakes at maximum possible braking speed. In full compliance with the certification requirements, the test was performed without a thrust reverser. The aircraft loaded to its maximum takeoff weight (45,880 kg) performed emergency braking at a speed of over 300 km/h and came to a stop after running 700 metres, within the required parameters. On February 3, 2011, the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC IR) granted a Type Certificate for Sukhoi Superjet-100.

    Source: (Itar-Tass) -