Austria is still considering the production of the Russian MiG-110 multipurpose transport plane.

Published: 3/3/2000

AUSTRIA CONSIDERS RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT ASSEMBLY. According to Nikolai Nikitin, General Director of RSK MiG, Austria is continuing to consider the possible production of the Russian MiG-110 multipurpose transport. The talks regarding cooperation were first muted under a letter of intent between MAPO and Austrian maker ANL Handelsgesellschaft in October of 1998 to provide funding for development, with the possibility that the aircraft would be produced in Austria with kits from Sokol in Nizhni Novgorod, intended to be the main production plan. At the beginning of the year, Russia and Austria were in negotiations over this issue in a bilateral commission for cooperation in science and technology, with Russian interests also represented by the Russian Aerospace Agency and Economics Ministry. Nikitin said that the final decision on the main parameters for a joint venture may be made this year, adding that the city of Moscow is also interested in the project and has plans to finance part of the programme this year. The project is part of the MiG conversion programme to make the aircraft suitable for both military and civilian purposes, in line with the company's diversification strategy. The R&D spending involved is estimated at less than $100m and the market price of the plane is expected to be $7-7.5m. The multipurpose plane is designed for the transportation of passengers and cargo with a maximum number of 48 passenger seats. The story of the MiG-110 development was made all the more interesting by stories form a UK newspaper in June of 1999, that the programme was about to be funded by the Libyan leader Colonel Gadaffi to the tune of $50m; the production facility to be built outside of Vienna and managed by his son. www.concise.org 29th June 1999; 25th August 1999

Article ID: 1506