Russia's state-run United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) expects to strike deals to sell 100 Sukhoi Superjet and MS-21 passenger jets during the current air show near Moscow, the UAC head said on Tuesday.
"These will be contracts to sell Sukhoi Superjet and MS-21 aircraft, a total of about 100 planes," Mikhail Pogosyan said during the six-day MAKS-2011 air show that opened at the Zhukovsky air base on Tuesday. He declined to name the buyers.
The Superjet 100 is a medium-haul passenger aircraft developed by the Sukhoi Corporation in cooperation with U.S. and European aviation corporations. It is capable of carrying 75-95 passengers up to a distance of 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles).
The plane made its maiden flight in May 2008.
The MS-21 is a family of twin-engine jet aircraft still under development by the Irkut and the Yakovlev design bureau, part of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation. It has a capacity of 150-212 passengers. The model was showcased for the first time at the Farnborough International Airshow in Britain in 2010.
MS-21 planes will be produced in three modifications. It will be the first plane with components made of carbon fiber. The new technology will save 25% of fuel, 15% of maintenance costs and reduce the damage to the environment.
The air show at Zhukovsky involves 627 aerospace industry companies, including 473 Russian and 154 foreign.
