Superjet 100 to be tested in Armenian highlands

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armavia national carrier will buy Superjet 100 and test it in highlands and elevated temperatures.



Russia presented its new Superjet 100 passenger airliner at Le Bourget 2009 air show, which was held on June 15-21, which marks 100 years of technological innovation in aeronautics and space conquest, will be the first chance for most aviation enthusiasts to get a look at the new plane.



Superjet 100 was the only really new aircraft displayed at the show. It is a family of medium-haul passenger aircraft developed by Russia's Sukhoi Civil Aircraft company in cooperation with U.S. and European aviation corporations, including Boeing, Snecma, Thales, Messier Dowty, Liebherr Aerospace and Honeywell.



The first Superjet 100 aircraft has already made several long-distance and 40 short-distance test flights, clocking over 100 flight hours. A total of four planes will take part in the Russian certification program, which should be completed in the third quarter of 2009.



International certification is expected by mid-2010.



Sukhoi, part of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), plans to manufacture at least 700 Superjet 100s, and intends to sell 35% of them to North America, 25% to Europe, 10% to Latin America, and 7% to Russia and China.



The company earlier said it had about 100 solid orders for the Superjet 100 so far and planned to sign a new deal during the Le Bourget air show for 20 additional planes, worth an estimated $600 million.