Tupolev Tu-334

The Tupolev Tu-334 was a Russian short-to-medium range jet airliner project meant to replace the ageing Tupolev Tu-134 and Yakovlev Yak-42 in service. Its airframe was a shortened Tupolev Tu-204 fuselage with a scaled-down version of that aircraft's wing, but unlike the Tu-204 it used a T-tail and rear-fuselage engine pods instead of wing-mounted engines. Tupolev introduced it in early 1989, with a planned propfan version and an interim turbofan version using Progress D-436T engines. Work moved slowly after the breakup of the Soviet Union; a functional aircraft first flew on 8 February 1999 and a Russian type certificate followed on 30 December 2003. Only two examples were built and flown before the 2009 formation of United Aircraft Corporation led to the decision not to continue the programme in favour of the Sukhoi Superjet 100, Antonov An-148 and Irkut MC-21. Variants such as the Tu-334-100D, Tu-334-120 and the stretched Tu-354 were planned but never entered production.