Aircraft

^{DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW/SINGAPORE}

^SUKHOI

Russian manufacturing plant KnAAPO expects to complete fuselage assembly for the first Sukhoi Russian Regional Jet (RRJ) by September, having finished initial work on the centre section.

This month the centre section will be mated with a second fuselage component, known as F2, while work on two other sections – labelled F3 and F4 – will be carried out in parallel.

Two other sections – the F1 nose and F5 tail components – will be delivered from a plant in Novosibirsk to the KnAAPO line in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, completing the fuselage assembly.

“This will occur in less than five months, in September this year,” says Sukhoi, adding that the plant is preparing to commission automated machinery for riveting wing panels of the aircraft.

The RRJ is scheduled to make its first flight in September next year with Russian and European certification following a year later, and entry into service in November 2008.