The Tu-334 project continues with slightly different partners

Published: 9/8/1999

The Director General and General Designer of VPK MAPO, Nikolay Nikitin, has confirmed that MAPO is implementing its policy of diversifying its production away from military aircraft and has joined with ANTK Tupolev and Aviant in Kiev in the production of the medium range 100 seat Tu-334.The Tu-334 programme has received government approval, although no reported support. According to Nikitkin, the cooperative plan has been prepared over the last three months and will significantly utilise MAPO"s idle capacity, which currently operates at 15% of optimal level. MAPO has had difficulty keeping its workforce of 12,000 fully occupied and the various light aircraft projects have failed to provide sufficient volume to compensate for the decline in military orders over the last seven years. The cost of developing the Tu-334 is estimated to be $70-90m with MAPO providing up to 50% of the certification costs according to reports.At a unit cost for the Tu-334-100 of $15m, the aircraft according to its makers, is as technically advance as the B-717 and A-318, capable of 3000 flight cycles a year The aircraft has a Russian all-glass cockpit and has significant commonality with the larger Tu-204. The Tu-334-100 will be powered by BMW R-R BR710-48, which will replace the prototype"s original Russian power plant of the Ivchenko Progress D-436T1, according to some reports. The D-436T1 powered version however, has fuel consumption similar to that of a Boeing B-717 according to Tupolev at 1800 kg an hour in cruise flight, although its 6000-hour assigned lifetime is considerably shorter than the BMW Rolls Royce product. There are also longer term plans to produce a series of engine upgrades and stretches to the airframe with a –120 variant, powered by the BR-715.Another stretched variant, called the Tu-354 or Tu-334-200, produced by Aviakor in Samara, has also been mooted. The proposed aircraft is capable of carrying 126 passengers in the 3.9m extension of the original fuselage, although some reports anticipate that the Tu-334-220, the TU-354 fuselage powered by the BR715, or the D-436T2 may replace it. The exact power plants available for each variant still appear to be something of a moveable feast. It seems however, that the original role of the Aviakor plant and Taganrog in the production of the first aircraft was going to be significantly larger than it now appears, with their loss of interest being filled by the MAPO Znamya Truda (Banner of Labour)plant The demand for this aircraft, as the replacement for Russia"s ageing fleets of Tu-134s, of which 834 were delivered, is speculated to be 1,000 until 2010. According to reports, the contract for the delivery of the first 100 is being discussed. So far, the aircraft has received preliminary interest for 160 aircraft from 13 airlines since the first prototype appeared in 1995. The aircraft, which first flew in February of 1999, is, however, two years behind schedule and the condition of many of its earlier potential customers has deteriorated significantly since then. Funding may yet be forthcoming - perhaps from the recent discussion of government-backed leasing of aircraft - as the replacement of the airline"s backbone Tu-134s becomes more urgent.

Article ID: 840