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Thales Inks 15-Year Deal With Sukhoi
Thales signed a long-term, $120 million deal with Sukhoi Civil Aircraft here to provide the avionics suite for the Russian Regional Jet program that is focusing initially on a 95-seat followed by a 75-seat model.
The agreement was initially announced late last year, but the signing of a protocol here by Mikhail Pogosyan, CEO of Sukhoi Holding, and Thales President Denis Ranque firmed up the commitment on an aircraft program that Pogosyan says is headed for first flight in 2007. The goal is to win concurrent certification from Russian and European authorities, meeting all the latest industry standards in a product intended for export as well as domestic sales in Russia.
Francois Quentin, CEO of Thales Avionics, says the cockpit will employ the latest generation of avionics equipment and that 20% of the software for it will be developed in Russia. The cockpit design will be similar to that of the Airbus A380, according to Thales, and the French company will supply cockpit displays, communication, navigation and surveillance systems.
There are no plans to provide an inflight entertainment system at the moment, though the fact that Embraer is interested in the idea for regional jets means Sukhoi will not rule it out. If customers want inflight entertainment when the time comes, Thales can assist Sukhoi with its need for inflight entertainment systems. And Ranque notes that in the vastness of Russia, a six-hour regional jet flight is a likely possibility, so IFE is not out of the question.
Pogosyan says the flight trials of the 75-seater will begin in 2009 after the first of the 95-seaters are delivered in 2008. Sukhoi has not determined its strategy for a family of regional jets after that.
Sukhoi estimates the market for regional airline aircraft in the 2007 to 2020 time frame is 5,000 aircraft; its goal is to capture an 800-aircraft share of that total. Pogosyan expressed confidence that the program will be fully financed even though the Russian aircraft industry is being reorganized. The creation of a Unified National Aviation Company doesn’t worry Pogosyan, who says Sukhoi’s objectives would be among the highest priorities of a new organization. And this type of company probably won’t be organized until 2007.
Ranque noted that if Sukhoi needs any advice on industry consolidation, Thales has a lot of experience in that area.
Boeing is involved in the marketing side of the Sukhoi venture, French firm Snecma is developing the engine, and Messier-Dowty is developing the landing gear.
“Signing this contract begins a new phase on our relationship. This is the first time we have cooperated with a Russian aircraft manufacturer on a civil aircraft,” Ranque concluded. —David Hughes
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