Boeing Delivers AirBridgeCargo Airlines’ Fifth 747-8 Freighter

MOSCOW – Boeing [NYSE: BA]  and AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC), part of Volga-Dnepr Group and Russia’s largest cargo airline, recently celebrated the delivery of the airline’s fifth 747-8 Freighter.
"AirBridgeCargo has already experienced the outstanding payload and operating economics of the 747-8 family,” said Denis Ilin, executive president of AirBridgeCargo Airlines. “We are very excited to receive our fifth 747-8 Freighter.”

Boeing [NYSE: BA]  and AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC), part of Volga-Dnepr Group and Russia’s largest cargo airline, recently celebrated the delivery of the airline’s fifth 747-8 Freighter.

With delivery of the fifth 747-8 Freighter, AirBridgeCargo continues to follow its long-term fleet modernization strategy to further improve the quality of its products. The new aircraft will be used on ABC’s existing route network linking Europe, Asia and the United States via the airline’s hub in Moscow.

“AirBridgeCargo is a valued customer that has built a very successful cargo business using 747 Freighters,” said Marty Bentrott, vice president of sales for Middle East, Russia and Central Asia, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “We are proud of our partnership with AirBridgeCargo, and we are confident they will continue to grow their business successfully as their fleet expands."

AirBridgeCargo’s current fleet consists of 12 Boeing 747s, including five Boeing 747-400ERFs (Extended Range Freighters), three Boeing 747-400 Freighters and five Boeing 747-8 Freighters.


The new 747-8 Freighter gives cargo operators the lowest operating costs and best economics of any large freighter airplane while providing enhanced environmental performance. It is optimized to provide greater revenue cargo-carrying capability than the 747-400, offering 16 percent more cargo volume while keeping its iconic nose door. With more than 150,000 hours in service, the 747-8 Freighter is achieving performance milestones with customers reporting 1 percent better fuel burn than expected.


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Moscow approves deal for 92 Su-34 bombers

Photo Credit: Military Photos.net

Russia's defense ministry signed a deal for 92 Sukhoi Su-34 "Fullback" strike aircraft on 1 March, marking the biggest deal for a single aircraft type for the nation's air force in more than 20 years. To cover deliveries until 2020, the deal was signed by defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Sukhoi general director Igor Ozar. The Su-34s will replace all the Su-24 bombers in service, Serdyukov said. A source quoted by Russia’s Interfax news agency put the value of the deal at around 100 billion roubles ($3 billion).

The defense ministry had previously said 70 Su-34s would be delivered by 2015. Six aircraft are in service at Russia's test and evaluation center at Lipetsk, with a further 10 due to be delivered this year. The Russian air force will eventually field a total of about 120 Su-34s in five squadrons of 24 aircraft each, its commander Col Gen Alexander Zelin said at last year's MAKS air show near Moscow.

Powered by two AL-31MF turbofan engines, the twin-seat Su-34 is designed to conduct precision strikes on heavily defended targets under all weather conditions, day or night. It is armed with a GSh-301 30mm cannon and a wide variety of air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles and bombs.

Noting that the Su-34 is entering service more than a decade behind original plans, Douglas Barrie, an air warfare analyst with the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, said: "The Su-34 will, with the appropriate avionic and weapons systems, provide the air force with a capable long-range strike platform, with considerably more punch than the Su-24."

The defense ministry has said the air force will procure more than 1,500 new aircraft by 2020. Moscow's Su-34 order was signed only two days after the Russian navy confirmed an order for 24 RAC MiG-29K/KUB carrier-based fighters.


Flight Global

China And Russia Launch GA Venture

Companies from China and Russia have teamed up to build their own line of general aviation aircraft ranging from four to 12 seats, Xinhua reported this week. China Oriental Sciences Group, China-Russia International Investment Company and KB-SAT, a Russian aircraft design company, signed an agreement last week in Beijing, according to Xinhua. The consortium will invest $1.27 billion to build a manufacturing facility this year in China's Inner Mongolia region. The group expects to start producing airplanes early next year, and produce 400 airplanes a year by 2016. "China's general aviation industry is at its initial stage of development, and the market demand is huge," said Zhuang Zhong, president of China Oriental Sciences Group, which is based in Beijing.

The consortium also plans to build a research facility, a pilot training base, and a flying club at the site in Ordos. China has been moving forward with plans to open up more airspace to GA flights and create more GA infrastructure, including building more airports. The country also has shown a strong interest in acquiring GA companies, buying up Cirrus, Teledyne Continental Motors, and several smaller manufacturers in recent years.

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