Russia is planning to produce up to 20 Tupolev Tu-214 aircraft per year to keep the costs of the program in check. The delivery of the first aircraft of this family is set to take place in 2023, according to Denis Manturov, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry.

The new Tupolev

Russia is rushing to establish its own aviation manufacturing industry to cope with the current sanctions by Western countries following the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As part of these plans, the Russian government is looking to launch several new aircraft in the future, including a new variant of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 (aptly called SSJ-NEW), a turboprop Ilyushin Il-114, the narrowbody Irkut MC-21-310, and the Tupolev Tu-214, a narrowbody twin-engine revamp of the first version of the aircraft, first manufactured in the late 1990s.

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The new Tupolev is set to be launched in 2023, and Aeroflot, Russia’s state carrier, will receive the first planes. This new variant of the narrowbody and the Superjet SSJ-NEW are crucial to ensure the sustainability of the Russian transportation infrastructure in the future, according to Denis Manturov, in an interview with Russia’s state agency, TASS.

He added,

“The first new Tu-214 will be delivered next year. At the same time, UAC will continue fulfilling its obligations to special customers, and state-owned structures and commercial deliveries will be added to them. The framework agreement with Aeroflot provides for the delivery of about 40 aircraft until 2030. There is quite a high interest in this aircraft from a number of airlines.”

Russia is currently considering the production volumes for the aircraft, which could vary between ten and 50 per year. Nonetheless, Manturov will suggest reaching 20 planes per year by 2026. He added that more will be very expensive and provoke an imbalance with the MC-21 project.

A Tupolev Tu-214 mock up
Photo: Fifg/Shutterstock.

How many planes will Russia produce by 2030?

Denis Manturov described 2023 as a transition year when the country’s civil aviation industry entirely withdraws from foreign manufacturers and enters a “new model of development.” He added new aircraft will be fully imported-substituted, with Russian systems and components.

“The next year will be required to complete the creation of Russian components and engines, to form a completely Russian line of aircraft, and to put them into mass production.”

By 2030, Russia has plans to deliver about 1,000 planes. The United Aircraft Corporation, or UAC, will supply half of this total, including 270 MC-21-310s, 142 Sukhoi SSJ-NEW, 70 Ilyushin Il-114-30s, 70 Tupolev Tu-214, and 12 Ilyushin Il-96, said Manturov.

A Tupolev Tu-214
Photo: Telsek | Shutterstock.

Moving away from the Russian-Chinese CR929

Finally, Manturov talked about the joint development plans of the CRAIC CR929 between China and Russia. This planned long-range 250-to-320-seat widebody airline is expected to have its first flight in 2025 and be introduced by 2028. Nonetheless, Russia may be looking to move away from the project.

Denis Manturov said both countries will hold the next round of negotiations in the first quarter of 2023, in which both parties will reach clear deadlines.

“But our Chinese colleagues are currently participating in this project with various component manufacturers in third countries. We are not considering such a format for ourselves, given the current situation and all the risks, which we understand very well. Therefore, to avoid them, we may decide to move from being a partner in this project to the status of a supplier of units and components.”

What do you think about Russia’s plans to develop several aircraft families in the next few years? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: TASS.