Russian Civil Aviation: News

I did some basic write up on IL-96-300 Passnger Aircraft and IL-96-400 Cargo Aircraft on my blog ,suggestions/corrections welcome.

IL-96-300
IL-96-400T

First commercial Sukhoi Superjet 100 makes maiden flight

First commercial Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) SN 95007 designed for Armenian Armavia airlines made its maiden flight, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft company said.

"During the flight, a crew carried out functional test of aircraft systems and equipment, engine, confirmed flight characteristics of the aircraft in an operational range," the company said adding that the aircraft is expected to arrive in Moscow soon, where in accordance with aviation regulations, its performance on typical routes will be tested.

Russian Presidential Aircraft

Serial produced Superjet takes to Air

This is interesting

Russian Aviation Market 2010

Finally some good news for Tu-204SM

http://www.aviaport.ru/news/2010/11/16/205773.html

The question of closing the program, the Tu-204SM is no longer necessary - S. Dementiev

The question of closing the program, the Tu-204SM no longer stands, told a reporter "AviaPort" CEO Aviastar-SP Sergei Dementiev.

He clarified that the decision was made based on the results of the meeting held on Tuesday at the base of Aviastar-SP President, Chairman of the Board of the United Aircraft Corporation "Alexey Fyodorov.

According to S. Dementieva, the first flying aircraft, tail number 150 will be transferred to the certification testing in December 2010. Now the company to a different degree of readiness in the company has five Tu-204SM, including three - in the final assembly.

Meeting of the Program Tu-204SM passed last week as the KLA, and in the Ministry of Industry, with representatives of the corporation Irkut noted that the project Tu-204SM in the current status will have a negative profitability. To exit the program to break-even price for the purchased component parts (excluding materials), according to the KLA should be reduced to not less than 30%.

The leasing company Ilyushin Finance Co. is in talks with Red Wings Airlines to supply 44 Tu-204SM. True, informally JAB noted that if the contract is signed, he will probably involve the delivery of fewer machines.Another deal to supply ten Tu-204SM and five more in options, with delivery starting in 2012, IFC worked through with the airline Atlant-Soyuz.

Nice Interview

President of Volga-Dnepr Alexey Isaikin the company's plans

link

Can any one confirm the next version of Sukhoi Superjet , SSJ-130 will have all composite wings ?

Kremlin set to buy Ukrainian jet for Medvedev

"I have seen the new plane myself, I have been onboard," Kozhinov said. "It suits us because it is able land on any runways."

This is especially important in Russia, where "you can count airports meeting international standards on the fingers of one hand," he said.

Kozhinov dismissed speculation that the Russian leader was going to change over to foreign-made aircraft. The speculation arose after the Kremlin bought a French-made Falcon jet for Medvedev earlier this year.

Here is some thing on the new An-158 A New Antonov - An-158

Tu-204 still Poletayev-The state will continue to produce these aircraft

The state will not stop the production program of aircraft Tu-204. In the Ministry of Industry expects a contract to supply 44 Tu-204SM airline Red Wings will be concluded before the end of the year.But the program needs state support to the final price of the aircraft arranged for the buyer. Analysts believe that another option the government does not: an alternative charge for Ulyanovsk Aviastar in the near future there is no prospect of a rolling program of Tu-204 has already led to social unrest in the city.

Several sources of Kommersant at the aviation market was told that on 13 November in the Ministry of Industry held a meeting to discuss the program of issue of Tu-204 and Tu-204SM at Ulyanovsk Aviastar-SP (part of United Aircraft Corporation, KLA). This fall, the program was threatened with closure due to failure of "Airline Moscow" (formerly "Atlant-Soyuz") to purchase 15 aircraft due to their high cost and poor economy. In October, the head of the KLA Alexei Fyodorov said he did not rule out closing the program that sparked a wave of social protest in the city. In particular, 14 November rally, organized by the "Fair Russia".

Tu-204SM - medium-range aircraft, more easy and economical modification of the Tu-204 first flight which took place in 1989. Total production for more than 50 Tu-204, Tu-204SM has not yet released. The idea of the program Tu-204SM appeared in 2006, its aim - to create an aircraft that would compete with the Boeing 737 and A320. Flight range Tu-204SM - about 4 thousand miles, in a 2-classroom layout 174 seats.

As told Kommersant source in the Ministry of Industry, after the meeting, chaired by the Deputy Minister Denis Manturova, it was decided to continue the program of issue of Tu-204SM (there are five for fuselages of planes, the prototypes did not fly). The working group under the Ministry shall, within three weeks to work out measures to reduce the cost of the aircraft and determine the amount of necessary government support. Additional funding is not planned, but it is possible reallocation of funds set forth in the Federal Program" Development of civil aviation until 2015 "- said the source of Kommersant, adding that the funds can go to the authorized capital Aviastar.

Also, the group should bring the aircraft to the stage of mass production and further sign firm contract for the supply.According to a source of Kommersant, in 2010, is expected to sign a contract to supply 44 aircraft to the airline's Red Wings.In the Ilyushin Finance Co announced that the company already gave the KLA a draft agreement to buy Tu-204SM for the Red Wings. Also, the aircraft will be delivered to aircraft for special purposes," - says Kommersant source in the Ministry of Industry.

Thus, the state actually accepted the offer by the head of the National Reserve Corporation (NRC), Alexander Lebedev. In his letter to Vladimir Putin in September, he said that the Red Wings, controlled by the NSC, is ready to buy 44 Tu-204SM, provided that the price of one side does not exceed 700-750 million rubles. Another condition was the redemption of VEB-owned PRC 28.5% stake in IFC, but according to Mr. Lebedev, a condition he took off.

"While we still called the price of one billion rubles for the aircraft - said to Kommersant, Alexander Lebedev .- But if we can not provide a lower price, we assume, for example, EBV guarantees us the cost of maintaining the airworthiness of these machines - if it will exceed the limits, compensates us EBV costs. In this case, Mr. Lebedev intends to insist on preferential treatment for the Red Wings in the case of a contract."We want to get a lower leasing rates that will fit into our profitability. We asked about this by Valery Okulov (Deputy Transport .-" b "), but he says that the preferences are not available" - said a businessman. He stressed that the contract will be awarded only if the State and the KLA fulfill all the conditions of Red Wings.

If the state will provide a price reduction, then come back to buy 15 planes might "Airline Moscow. If the price is best, I'm ready to go on board and raise the issue" - handed over to Kommersant's CEO Eugene Bachurin. A source close to the carrier, said that the company can arrange the cost of the aircraft to the $ 30-35 million

According to the head of analytical services agency "Airport" Oleg Panteleyev, the state and could not close the Tu-204. It would mean the loss of billions of rubles spent on the project. In addition, the plant would remain without downloading, for release of cargo aircraft IL-476 can begin only in 2011 - said the expert. According to him, the Tu-204SM with 210 seats has turned "niche" aircraft that can be effectively used on charter holiday routes and rolled directions. With this agrees the chairman of the Editorial Board, "Air Transport Observer" Alexei Komarov. But he believes that the prices can not be resolved correctly as long until the first plane and will not form a real production program. The first flight of Tu-204SM is scheduled for December.

Interdepartmental group will be established under the program Tu-204SM

MOSCOW, November 17. (АРМС-ТАСС). (Interagency Working Group (IWG) will be established to work out a plan to complete the creation, production, implementation of the Tu-204SM program and Tu-204 as a whole, including completion of work on obtaining the type certificate, optimizing costs, reducing the price of CRP (purchased components) and improve after-sales service and reduce the cost of continuing airworthiness. This decision was made at the interagency meeting, which was chaired by Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturova.

IWG headed by the Director of the Department of Aviation Industry Minpromtorga Yuri Slusar, it will include representatives of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Economic Development Ministry of Transport, as well as representatives from leading research institutions and aviation corporations.

During the implementation of the plan working group will work to develop measures to reduce the cost of the aircraft and measures of state support for the project Tu-204SM as a whole, bringing the aircraft to the stage of mass production and further sign firm contract for the supply of aircraft.In the current year is expected to sign a contract to supply 44 aircraft to anchor customers, "Red Wings", in addition, the aircraft will be delivered for the needs of special-purpose aircraft. Working to promote the Tu-204SM will UAC, including JSC "IPC".

In the event Slusar said that "one of the pillars of the working group will be adjusted measures of state development, manufacture and operation of new aircraft. In particular, we are talking about subsidizing the manufacturers, operators and equipment leasing companies.He also stressed that "the implementation of this plan will allow us to keep Russia in the competence of building medium-haul aircraft, to support the factories engaged in mass production of aircraft and components, as well as to support the highly skilled Russian industry until the release of such breakthrough products as MS-21" Sukhoi Superjet-100, wide-body long haul aircraft, and so on. "

Previously it had been agreed with the manufacturers of aircraft engines, according to which the price of engines for the first time will be calculated as a percentage of the implementation.

Perm Motors Interview

Today, Russian civil aviation lives in expectation of new aircraft. Superjet, MS-21, the modern versions "Tu" and "Il" - these liners should determine the future of domestic aviation. The success of the aircraft in the sky will largely depend on the technical and economic characteristics of the engines installed on its wing. That is why the domestic aircraft engine now given special attention.

OAO Perm Engine Company "- one of the largest engine-building enterprises in the country - is involved in several large and ambitious projects of the Russian aircraft. About the future of the enterprise, as well as about the current state of affairs says managing director of OAO "Perm Engine Company" Michael Dicheskul.

- Michael D., with some indicators of the company plans to finish this year?

- According to the business plan for OAO "Perm Motor Factory" will be made 24 aviation engine PS-90A and 36 gas turbines. Compared with last year the volume of production will remain the same. However, in 2010 the plant began mass production of new products - aircraft engine PS-90A2, and gas turbines 25 MW.

- You mentioned the engine PS-90A2. It is known that it's designed specifically for the Tu-204SM, the appropriateness of registration which is currently being discussed at government level. You, as the engine supplier, how do you evaluate this project?

- We are actively working with manufacturers of the Tu-204SM. In July, OAO "Perm Motor Plant dispatched two engine PS-90A2 at Aviastar-SP to be installed on the first aircraft Tu-204SM. We are currently working on two more PS-90A2, which will also be put to the test. In 2011, we plan to produce between four and seven PS-90A2. The exact number of engines will depend on the contracts KLA.

Now the main problem of the Tu-204SM - price. For its part, OJSC Perm Motors Plant have already identified the cost of an engine: it should be 11% of the price of the entire aircraft. We are currently negotiating with the KLA on the cost of flying hours. As far as I know, the negotiations on the harmonization of prices under way with other suppliers. We all need patience to go through this difficult stage and begin to produce Tu-204SM. The liner is competitive, with good performance - it needs to produce.

- PS-90A2 - the latest modification of the PS-90A. What is the fate of other engine modifications that have been certified before? First of all, I mean the PS-90A1, PS-90A76.

- These engines are in demand in the market. PS-90A1 is successfully exploited, such as IL-96-400T Airline Flight. Today the airline's fleet - three similar liner. The following year, the flight should get the fourth IL-96-400T. At the moment, the airline successfully exploits these planes and because of them, ranked fourth in Russia in terms of cargo and mail.

PS-90A76 mounted on the IL-76 and their modifications. For example, a month ago, we shipped 4 engine PS-90A-76 for military transport aircraft Il-76MF-EI. This is the second aircraft under contract with the Air Force, Jordan. The first plane has already been built Tashkent Aircraft Production Association and is currently in flight developmental testing in Zhukovsky near Moscow. Anticipated that by mid-2011 after passing all the tests, both IL-76MF-EI will be transferred to the customer.

For us is very interesting and a program to create the IL-476, which will also be installed PS-90A76. This ship, which will be produced at the plant Aviastar-SP "- a deep high-tech modernization of the Il-76. The main customer of Il-476 is a Russian Defense Ministry. Russian state armaments program for 2011-2020 provides for the procurement of defense department of over 50 such aircraft in two versions - the transporter and a tanker.

In short, new projects in civil aviation there, but we, of course, very difficult to compete with foreign companies, because for the 90th years, we strongly behind them. And have to compete directly, because airlines are set to profit and take into account the imperfection of the domestic industry does not intend to.

But still we have achieved a number of positions that we are not going to pass under any circumstances. Today, the world operated by the order of 80 planes with PS-90A engines. Actively on the wing are about 290 engines. Our task - to make sure that their operation was cost effective for airlines. Therefore, we are the only ones in our country had a system of payment per flight hour. In this form of calculating the airlines can clearly plan their hourly costs. Air carriers know that more than agreed to, they do not pay, whatever problems may arise with the engine. For them, this system is economically beneficial, understandable and transparent.

- How is the second area of business - manufacture of gas turbines for industrial applications?

- Quite successfully. We are stable in this market. Over the past 10 years in the market selling gas turbines for gas compressor units and our share - 36%, the business goal for the coming years - to increase it to 40%. The market share of small-scale power Perm STU is also significant - about 35%.

Today the main customer of the Permian GTU - Gazprom. The plant is involved in major projects of Gazprom for the construction of the North European gas pipeline, gas pipelines Bovanenkovo-Ukhta-Torzhok, the Sakhalin-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok.

Thus, the land of the North European Gas Pipeline includes 7 compressor stations, of which 4 are equipped with gas turbines Permian production. The gas main Bovanenkovo-Ukhta-Torzhok at this stage includes 16 compressor stations, of which 5 will be equipped with our facilities. In addition, OJSC Perm Motors Plant signed a contract to supply two sets of gas turbine compressor station for the head of the Sakhalin gas pipeline Sakhalin-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok.

Most of the plants that we now deliver on OAO Gazprom, the large capacity - 16 and 25 MW.

In the field of small power politics conducts an excellent marketing Aviadvigatel for which we produce low-power gas turbines. In late October, General Designer Aviadvigatel and CEO of OAO "LUKOIL - Western Siberia have signed a cooperation agreement. According to the document in the next 10 years on-site LUKoil - Western Siberia will be built power plants with total capacity of 144 MW.

We are firmly established in the gas turbine market. Our products a good reference list so we can confidently offer it to the customer.

- Michael D., recently in the media widely reported visit to Perm Motors Industry Minister Viktor Khristenko, who got acquainted with the work on creating a new DD-14 engine.

- This visit took place on November 10. At that time, the design bureau Aviadvigatel, which is a leading developer of a new family of engines, and now manages all the work, began testing a gas generator-demonstrator. Discuss the progress of these works and was the main theme of the visit

Feature of the PD-14 engine is that it creates a wide cooperation with enterprises of United Engine Corporation. JSC "PMZ" is defined as the head producer of the serial. During 2010 the JSC "PMZ" were working on making parts and components for gas-generator-engine demonstrator PD-14. Together with the PMZ in this work have been actively involved, and such companies as RBC UMPO "Federal State Unitary Enterprise" MMPP "Salut", JSC "NPP" Motor "and several others. Cooperation with companies developing: identify common goals and objectives, there are regular teleconferences, conducted a rigorous financial reporting.

All participants in the project to create a family of engines based on a single gasifier understand that this government order that this family of engines - the future of the domestic civil aviation. We have many competitors and make your way among them, to bring to market a competitive, cost-effective product. Moreover, it should produce a large series, only then can the question of competition with world leaders in engine development.

OAO "Perm Motor Plant, interviews

So when they ask for 25 to 30 % reduction on SM price how do they go about achieving it ?

Hope they dont compromise on safety aspect of SM just to lower the price.

Why do they use American component on PS-90A2 , cant russians develop a ETOPS 180 standard PS-90 engine ?

Austin wrote:So when they ask for 25 to 30 % reduction on SM price how do they go about achieving it ?

It says not less than 30%. Mass production would cut some cost, but that would require large domestic orders as well as export. Still wouldn't save 30%, if it takes that much just to break even, it is not worth building.

I think SM will need a big military order , if they are making a good aircraft with 30 % lower cost why not buy it , the only problem I see for the military is the American component in PS-90A2 but they can always use PS-90A1 or replace it with PD-14 when its available.

Here is an offer to chinese for SM
http://ato.ru/content/%D0%BA%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%8E-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8-%D1%82%D1%83-204%D1%81%D0%BC

Possible rescue for Tu-204SM

Alexander Lebedev, is ready to sign a contract to buy 44 Tu-204SM. Instead, he asks guarantees Vnesheconombank (VEB) and international travel itineraries for your carrier's Red Wings.

President of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Alexei Fedorov, a couple of months ago, did not rule out that due to lack of contracts program Tu-204SM will collapse: the only customer - the airline's Moscow (former "Atlant-union") declined from 15 aircraft due to differences in price. But in a meeting with Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce Dennis Manturova in November issue of closing the program, did not stand (it has already spent 5 billion rubles.): We discussed how to make it break even, a policy should be ready by early December, said the vice president of KLA- Alexander Tulyakov.

Rescue the Tu-204SM suggested Lebedev. As it became known to Vedomosti, the leasing company Ilyushin Finance (IFC; blocking Lebedev) is ready to sign a contract for 44 ship for Red Wings - but under certain conditions.

Importantly - price: 1,07 billion rubles. per aircraft (approximately $ 30 million, half the catalog, "Moscow" KLA offered them for $ 50 million), "guarantee the residual value of purchased aircraft [from the KLA], provided by VEB," said a draft agreement between the National Reserve Corporation (NRC), Lebedev , KLA and the IFC (a copy is in "Vedomosti"). In addition, the Tu-204SM should be clear to the price after a certain period: 10 years - $ 18.5 million (for 44 - $ 814 million), after 15 years - $ 9.5 million ($ 418 million).

"What is the meaning of the guarantee? Suppose IFC, as the owner of the aircraft, decides to sell them. If the price is lower than specified, the KLA or EBV underpaid remainder either did redeem - explains a source close to the NRC. - For the Red Wings net book value is important too : it reduces by half the lease payments. "

The draft speaks of the other interest: if the cost of maintaining the airworthiness of Tu-204SM exceed $ 1100 per flight hour (monthly flight time of 300 hours), then the amount in excess of the offset web or KLA. Lebedev also insists that the reliability of the flight of Tu-204SM amounted to 99,8% (from now operated by the Tu-204 - 97-98%), and the Red Wings received a priority "in the allocation of rights to fly on international tourist destinations by the Federal Air Transport Agency" . Purchase of aircraft does not affect the allocation of rights is a matter of international governmental agreements, said a representative of Federal Air Transport Agency.

Lebedev considers reasonable conditions. Red Wings could operate Airbus 320 (they are owned by the Swiss company Lebedev), which is 40% more efficient than the Tu-204SM, he says, but it would jeopardize the whole program for IFC and Tu-204SM.

Issue is being discussed now by produce win-win situations, a spokesman Dmitry Peskov premiere. These and other issues related to support for the domestic aircraft industry, are under discussion, the representative of VEB.

Lebedev has a chance to bargain for all conditions - in fact to find another customer on the Tu-204SM hardly turn out, the analyst believes "airport" Oleg Panteleyev.

Representatives of the KLA and the IFC declined comment.

____________________________

So he wants them at Chinese prices, and if anything goes wrong KLA has to pay the difference. No way to break even at 30% loss off that. Especially not for a lease.

The Red Wings chief Lebed guy is a smart and shrewd business man , he know Tu-204SM can only come to life if his airlines goes for it and he is making the best by milking the Government to get the best aircraft at lowest cost so that his operating cost is low and profit goes up.

Heck if Tu-204SM had got the Iran deal , Lebed ability to bargain would have gone down.

The real challenge here is to get 204s the ability to break even on cost. If it costs us money to sell them, there is no point being in business. Lebed wants the Russian taxpayer to fund his airline. The only positive is we can produce some to reduce costs, but 44 is not enough to drop largely that 30% cost overun.

IL-76 with all russian crew burst into flames after takeoff at Karachi , perhaps a terrorist attack ?

Russian-made cargo plane crashes in Pakistan, 8 crew dead

A Russian-made Il-76 cargo plane crashed early Sunday in a Karachi residential neighborhood, killing all eight crewmembers and destroying several buildings under construction, CNN reported.

The plane burst in flames shortly after a takeoff from the Karachi International Airport heading for Khartoum, Sudan, CNN cited local authorities as saying.

The Associated Press and Reuters later said that all eight crewmembers on board the plane were Russians,

Vladimir79 wrote:The real challenge here is to get 204s the ability to break even on cost. If it costs us money to sell them, there is no point being in business. Lebed wants the Russian taxpayer to fund his airline. The only positive is we can produce some to reduce costs, but 44 is not enough to drop largely that 30% cost overun.

Agreed and that is the reason I have been saying the military should buy the Tu-205SM with PS-90A1 engine for new ASW Tu-204P and refuller/ELINT/SIGINT role.

Its a good aircraft but it seems to have lost the race to gain customers.

All future civil aircraft like Superjet or MS-21 are either too small or they have significant western/us system in them making them unsuitable for military.

Tu-204 has the payload.range and has mostly Russian systems making it a suitable platform for military roles.

Tu-204 has the payload.range and has mostly Russian systems making it a suitable platform for military roles.

Any new aircraft will have a break even number of orders it will need to reduce costs and make full scale production viable. No plane will be competitive if you only make 2-3.

A significant military order could make the difference and reduce costs to make it commercially viable.

The important issue is that it is useful to the military and not just some hidden subsidy for the plane maker to make junk.

Just looking at the figures and the types of aircraft this new aircraft can replace I think it is a very good idea for the Russian military to adopt it.

^^ Indeed Garry and considering they are no more developing the IL-38 and Tu-142 air frames any more and production has been closed long time back , it is just a matter of time the MOD will have to make a choice about new MPA platform.

If they choose Tu-204 it will be export wise competitive against Boeing P-8I for future markets, eventually if Russia does not come with new platforms it will loose all export potential for MPA much like they lost the Indian MPA order.

The benefits are pretty clear to me... I guess it just comes down to funding.

Here is an article I was reading recently on the subject:

Russian Navy desperate for new planes

Russian naval aviation is in critical condition, particularly the aviation units of the Black Sea Fleet, which may lose most of their fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters in the next five to six years.

This problem demands a rapid solution. Otherwise the new warships ordered under the 2011-2020 state rearmament program will be useless.

So far there are no official plans for equipping the navy with new fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. There have been no public reports or official statements regarding the purchase of new aircraft for the navy citing specific figured or parameters, except for the announcement of the purchase of 26 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 Fulcrum carrier-borne fighters.

Off-the-record comments and articles by experts indicate that Soviet-era Ilyushin Il-38 May and Tupolev Tu-142 Bear F/J maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft are currently being modernized, and that the navy will receive new helicopters under a program to provide a thousand new helicopters for the Russian Armed Forces between 2011 and 2020.

The navy has endured across-the-board cuts for the past 20 years, with naval aviation being the hardest hit. Long-range bomber units essentially no longer exist, and the number of combat-ready ASW planes has dwindled.

The air wing of Russia's sole aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, and helicopters deployed on cruisers, ASW ships and frigates also face major problems.

The Black Sea Fleet is in a particularly bad state, as this was the only Soviet fleet that did not receive next-generation warships and aircraft in the 1980s before the collapse of the Soviet Union. As a result, its aviation units still operate four Beriev Be-12 Mail flying boats, which were decommissioned elsewhere long ago. The fleet operates rapidly aging Kamov Ka-27 Helix and Mil Mi-14 Haze, which are the main helicopter models in use in other fleets.

Russia can replace these obsolete helicopters. Each year, Russia manufactures 100 helicopters for export and for its own needs. Considering the ambitious helicopter procurement plans under the above-mentioned federal rearmament program, the navy is entitled to its fair share.

Replacing ASW aircraft is even more critical. Russia now has an estimated 40 long-range aircraft, including 26-28 Il-38s and 15 Tu-142s in use in the Pacific and Northern fleets, while the Baltic fleet lacks any long-range aircraft.

Ground-based ASW planes have come a long way in the past few years. Owing to recent advances in airborne radio-electronic equipment, most industrialized countries have started converting these planes into multi-role maritime patrol aircraft.

The U.S. Navy's upgraded Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion anti-submarine and surveillance aircraft, the peer of the Soviet Il-38 plane, is a classic example.

Over the past 30 years, these planes have gained a number of new capabilies. They can attack ships with the help of new anti-ship missiles; they can function as AWACS-type early-warning aircraft; and they can patrol exclusive economic zones and territorial waters in search of smugglers and poachers.

The Russian Navy also plans to overhaul its 40 ASW aircraft. But 40 aircraft are clearly not enough to police Russia's coast. Russia has the longest maritime border in the world, a problem compounded by the melting polar icecaps. Although the United States has 130 planes of this class, many U.S. analysts also believe their number should be increased.

Russia cannot compete with the United States in terms of the number of naval aircraft, but it can certainly afford to make more of this class of aircraft, particularly the A-42, an advanced version of the Beriev A-40 Albatros/Mermaid flying boat, developed in the 1980s, which can fly patrol and rescue missions.

The Russian Defense Ministry has already announced plans to purchase these aircraft. However, a 2008 plan to purchase four A-42 search-and-rescue planes, as well as their multi-role versions later on, never materialized.

Lieutenant General Valery Uvarov, former commander of the Russian Navy's air-force and air-defense units, said the navy needs 15-20 new flying boats to meet the demand for search-and-rescue aircraft and to significantly enlarge the ASW plane fleet.

It is impossible to replace all obsolete aircraft with A-42 flying boats because it would take about 20 years for the Taganrog plant that manufactures them, as well as the smaller Beriev Be-200 planes for the Emergencies Ministry, to fulfill the contract for at least 40 such aircraft.

A good replacement would be the Tupolev Tu-204-P multi-mission maritime aircraft, which was developed on the basis of the Tu-204 medium-haul airliner. It resembles the state-of-the-art Boeing P-8 Poseidon, a converted B-737.

This aircraft could be mass-produced if the Russian Navy were to order a sufficient quantity, unlike the A-42 flying boats. This would provide much-needed support to the Tu-204 program, which has essentially no commercial orders.

It would be possible to assemble 50-60 such aircraft in the next ten years, along with a small number of A-42 search-and-rescue planes. This would alleviate the problem and form the foundation for the subsequent development of Russian naval aviation.

The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20101021/161043453.html

I would add that the A-42 with its ability to land on the sea surface is probably best suited to operations in the Black sea and Caspian sea (though obviously in the latter for search and rescue missions rather than anti sub missions) so there is little point in mass production in enormous numbers for that type.
The smaller Be-200 would be better suited to fire bombing missions too.
A replacement for the Il-38 May and the Tu-142 is needed and indeed for the various electronic intel variants of the Il-20 and Il-22 could also do with a replacement too. Using one aircraft to replace all these aircraft would be very useful to the Russian navy and would be very important components to support the expansion of the Russian Navy to a more global force that remains relatively small and compact though powerful and efficient.

Something I have been thinking about would be the use of A-42s converted into people transports so that in certain circumstances it could be used to fly to a rendezvous point in the open ocean during a period of low sea conditions and it could be used to swap crews on Submarines on long missions. The modified Typhoon class (known in Russia as Akula class) would have enormous capacity for food stores and converting some of the swimming pools and some of the extra rooms (like the aviary) for food storage space should allow for very long deployments to the southern oceans and elsewhere. Depending upon the primary use of such vessels... whether military like a very large cruise missile carrier with potential for SAMs in vertical launch tubes as well as land attack and anti ship and anti sub missiles, or whether its purpose is for a special forces mothership that operates other submersible vessels and unmanned submersible vessels, or indeed it is used as a civilian research mothership with manned and unmanned vessels the idea of being able to fly in replacement crew or perhaps special replacement personnel when needed might be useful sometimes.

Indeed and as the rian article too says the same thing , its high time to standardise many of assets which are now taken care by different platform on to Tu-204 for standardisation,logistics and cost effectiveness.

i just hope the military is listening

here is another latest win for Superjet

Thai air company to buy 12 Russia planes Sukhoi Superjet-100

This site is really interesting , click on this link and you can check out individually all the aspect of Superjet check the technology,flight deck cabin etc

http://www.superjetinternational.com/ssj100/

Superjet is the only 100 seater aircraft to use AFDX system after A-380 and 767