Upgrade ready for next year

Published: 3/21/2000

According to Motor-Sich, part of the Russian-Ukrainian joint aviation corporation, ZAO Interavia, the maiden flight of the M variant of the Tu-134 is scheduled for late 2000 or early 2001. Motor-Sich produces the D-436Ti-134 engine for the aircraft, which according to the company meets the latest ICAO Chapter 3 requirements and gives much greater fuel economy than the aircraft's original D-30s. The Tu-134M has been developed to fill a niche created by the delays in the introduction of the 102 passenger Tu-334 and also as a significantly cheaper alternative. In fact. the original proposal for a refit of $5-6m for the Tu-134 was significantly scaled down because was perceived as too expensive. The refitted aircraft will give its operators considerable improvements in both economy and range, saving 4.2 t of fuel on a typical 2500 km trip according to Motor Sich. The Chairman of Motor-Sich, Vyacheslav Boguslayev, also announced that the company is working on a Yak-42 upgrade project, in conjunction with the Yakovlev design bureau. This involves retrofitting the current D-36 engines with the G-436T1, in order to bring the aircraft into line with international standards.

Article ID: 1713