Sukhoi Civil Aircraft and Alenia Aeronautica announced the launch of an executive version of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) regional jet, on Tuesday at the Paris Air Show. Dubbed the Sukhoi Business Jet (SBJ), the project falls under the responsibility of Italian support and marketing arm Superjet International, the joint venture between Alenia and Sukhoi Holding. Scheduled for certification in 2014, the SBJ would cost some $50 million, depending on configuration, according to Carlo Logli, CEOof Superjet International. Logli estimates a market of between 80 and 100 airplanes over the next 20 years, with sales centered primarily in North America, the Middle East and Russia. Based on the SSJ100-95 platform, the SBJ would come in VIP, corporate and government configurations. Additional fuel tanks in the cargo hold would provide the aircraft with a range of almost 4,300 nm, compared with the Superjet 100’s standard 1,645 nm, allowing the SBJ to fly nonstop from Paris to New York. The launch of the new business jet comes just two months after entry into service of the SSJ100 with Armavia. During the first two months of operation, the airplane logged more than 268 hours on 119 flights.