TUPOLEV TU-334

The 'Tupolev Tu-334' is a Russian airliner currently under development to replace the aging Tu-134s in service around the world. The airframe is based on a shortened Tu-204 fuselage and a scaled-down version of that aircraft's wing. Unlike the Tu-204, however, the Tu-334 has a T-tail and engines mounted on the sides of the rear fuselage instead of under the wings.

Contents

Development

Specifications (Tu-334-100)

References

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Development

Work commenced on the Tu-334 in the early 1990s, but proceeded slowly due to funding problems arising from the break-up of the Soviet Union. A prototype was displayed in 1995, but this was little more than a mock-up with few systems installed. A functional aircraft first flew on February 8 1999, and later that year, agreements were put in place for MiG to undertake part of the production of the airliner.
Since then, development has been slow due to protracted budget problems. In turn, the certification of the aircraft and its entry into serial production has been delayed, with full Russian certification still not obtained. Tupolev has orders from 112 airlines wishing to purchase the aircraft, but as the project's future is far from certain, with the directors of MiG and Rosaviakosmos both alleged to be in favour of cancelling development.
As of December 2006 there are 55 firm orders for the Tupolev Tu-334 from 7 airlines, including Atlant-Soyuz Airlines and there are letters of intent from 24 airlines to obtain another 297 airplanes. ^{[1] [2]} Price per unit is estimated in the 19-25 million $ price range. ^[3]

Specifications (Tu-334-100)

References

1. Flight International, 3-9 October 2006
2. http://www.royfc.com/acft_news_old_nov3.html
3. www.ctrl-c.liu.se/misc/ram/tu-334.html

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