EADS May Put Tourists in Stratosphere

The Moscow Times - Tuesday, Jul. 22, 2003

By Lyuba Pronina - Staff Writer


Thrill seekers with $10,000 to burn may soon get the chance to take
rides into the stratosphere on the back of a MiG-31, one of the
Russian air force's most advanced jets.

The European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co., or EADS, is in talks
with the jet's designer, RSK MiG, to strap glass-encased, 12-seat
passenger cabins to the top of three MiGs.

It would be like riding the world's fastest roller coaster to
unrivaled altitudes of 20 kilometers above the earth's surface.

"Perhaps some tourist company or future investor will lease the craft
to offer such flights," spokesman Gregor Kursell said by phone from
EADS headquarters in Munich on Monday.

"We are now looking for an investor in the United Arab Emirates," he
said, adding that an estimated $50 million to $100 million would be
needed to finance the program.

"It is not going to be one of our core programs. It is only
interesting to us from a technical point of view," Kursell said.

The first passenger-equipped MiGs could be ready in three to four
years, he said -- provided the project takes off.




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--
Rusty Barton - Antelope, California |"Every so often, I like to
| stick my head out the window,
| look up, and smile for the
| satellite picture."-Steven Wright