This year Cosmonaut Training Center (CTC) named after Y.A. Gagarin will take delivery of a new special-purpose aircraft intended for evacuation of crews, which returned from ISS, Head of CTC Yuri Lonchakov told RIA Novosti.

“In late 2014 we signed a contract. And we should take delivery of the first upgraded aircraft in late 2015; it will be fitted with a special cabin intended for evacuation of crews and transportation of crews to the launch sites. This refers to Tu-204-300 aircraft,” Lonchakov said speaking of meeting of the State Duma’s Property Committee dedicated to regulations in the area of space.

He added that pilots are undergoing retraining in order to operate the new aircraft. Earlier Lonchakov said that the aircraft operated by CTC are outdated; in particular, L-39 Albatros aircraft used to train cosmonauts and manufactured in Czech Republic must be replaced. He named Yak-130 operational trainers as an alternative.

The head of CTC explained that new Yak-130 operational trainers are required for training of cosmonauts in the network of Moon and Mars programs, because flight training is one of the essential parts of the specialized training program and every cosmonaut must complete it.

“So far we can’t say, when Yak-130 jets will be delivered to the CTC, but we have already submitted our proposals and our initiative is welcomed, not only in terms of Albatros, but also in terms of Il-76 jets (unique jets, which perform flights simulating zero-g environment). These jets must be replaced by Il-476 aircraft,” he added.