Published: 12/12/1997

Airbus Industrie and Russia continue negotiations on the A3XX super-large airliner project as part of an agreement for strategic co-operation, which was signed at the MAKS'97 air show in August by Airbus Executive Officer Volker Von Tain and Russian Minister for Economics Yakov Urinson. Igor Bocharov, head of the Airbus office in Moscow said on 28 November, that although no new documents have been signed since August, the process goes on steadily. The parties have formed joint working groups and they have started relevant activities. Airbus continues feasibility studies on the new model, which should be the most economically-effective airliner ever built. The A3XX will have 555 seats in three-class layout on two decks and a range of between 14,200 and 16,200km. In his speech at MAKS'97, Volker Von Tain said the plane should enter commercial service in 2003 and that its development would require an investment of $9bn. The market demand is estimated at 1,400 units over the next 20 years, worth $300bn. Despite such a high demand, Airbus has not made its final decision whether to launch the A3XX. Volker Von Tain said that involvement of Russia may help Airbus to reduce technological risks sufficiently. Igor Bocharov says that the A3XX will be launched only if Airbus gets enough requests for the plane from operators. Bocharov refused to specify how financial risks would be divided between participants in the A3XX project, but said that a sufficient number of orders for the new type from the airlines could sufficiently reduce the project's overall risk. Tupolev general director Igor Shevchuk, confessed to ConCISe that Russia will probably never be a A3XX user, having no routes to make use of its outstanding passenger capacity. However, the experience of designing and manufacturing the world's largest combat and civilian aircraft - the Tu-160 bomber and An-124 Ruslan airlifter respectively - gives Russia an opportunity to become a key participant in the A3XX project. Both the Europeans and Russians name the Tupolev design bureau of Moscow and the Aviastar aircraft-production complex of Ulyanovsk as being enterprises that would be actively involved in co-operation with Airbus. They are likely to design and manufacture the centre section of the plane, with Agregat of Samara and Gidromash of Nizhny Novgorod doing the same for for the landing gear and associated equipment. The scientific part of work would be done by VIAM, MAI, NIAT and TsAGI. The Russian share in the A3XX has not been determined yet. Igor Bocharov says, "the share is changing because the airplane itself has not been launched. We are talking about some 18% or 20% of Russian participation. The final figure will be set with the signing of an appropriate agreement." He refused to predict when the document would be signed, but said it would definitely happen after the A3XX's full-scale development is launched. A decision on the latter should be made by the end of 1998. According to Bocharov, the strategic co-operation between Airbus Industrie and Russia will develop regardless of the A3XX's future. "In August we signed a global agreement, neither for one day, nor one year. It is a firm footing to build up our co-operation in the long-term", he explained. The Russian industry already participates in the manufacture of Airbus aircraft. VSMPO of Verkhnaya Salda is fulfilling a large order for the supply of 800 tonnes of titanium castings. Bocharov says Airbus is interested in co-operating with the Russians on new construction materials for future aircraft, aerodynamic studies and the manufacture of sub-components for existing types.(IN1297.1) (VK)

Article ID: 96