More on what BRICS can do with regard to civil aviation Archie D'Souza

“Russian aircraft manufacturing companies are capable of penetrating global markets despite tough competition,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin on several occasions especially when he was Prime Minister.  "We are certain that the Russian aircraft industry could find its own niche on the global market and we lay serious hopes on that," he once said at the international forum Engineering Technologies-2010, a little over two years ago.  No doubt there is strong competition on aircraft markets but it comes only from the top two. I have on several occasions said that BRICS can provide the ideal platform for a third player. Please click in-case you haven't yet seen it:

http://sunriseacademyonline.blogspot.in/2012/04/brics-possible-benefits-to-civil_09.html

Russia has several aircraft that could become a success globally, including the An-124 Condor heavy-lift transport plane and the Superjet 100 medium-haul passenger plane.  The An-124 was designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in 1982, and was produced in Ukraine's Kiev and Russia's Ulyanovsk plants until 1995. Although there are no An-124s being built at present, Russia and Ukraine have reportedly agreed to resume production in the future.  The Superjet 100 project is a family of medium-haul passenger aircraft developed by Sukhoi in cooperation with U.S. and European aviation corporations, including Boeing, Snecma, Thales, Messier Dowty, Liebherr Aerospace and Honeywell.  I would like to speak here about an aircraft I’m in love with, the Ilyushin Il-96

Design and development

The Ilyushin Il-96 is a shortened, long-range, and advanced technology development of Russia's first wide-body aircraft the IL 86.  Here are some of its salient features:

·          Super-critical wings fitted with winglets

·          A glass cockpit

·          Fly-by-wire control system

First flown in 1988, it was certified in 1992.  In its basic version the Il-96-300 is equipped with the following:

·          Modern Russian avionics integrating six multi-function colour LCD displays

·          Inertial and satellite navigation systems

·          A Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), including mode "S".  This allows the aircraft to be operated with just two crew members. The avionics correspond to modern requirements on international routes in Europe and North America (RNP-1) and allow navigation and landing under ICAO CAT III/A conditions. The Il-96 is offered in three main variants: the Il-96-300, Il-96M/T and Il-96-400.

I feel this aircraft could be the first to get into the BRICS agenda. Is any one of consequence reading?