China's Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) has delivered the first L162, a light sport plane, to its co-developer, the US Cessna Aircraft Company (Cessna), said a spokesman with SAC Friday.

The L162 Skycatcher is a two-seat aircraft, with a gross weight of 0.6-tonne and a length of 6.95 meters, said Pang Zhen, manager of the SAC civil aircraft division.

Cessna, as the proprietor of L162, is responsible for the designing, airworthiness approval, marketing and after-sale services.

SAC, as the only subcontractor, takes care of materials purchasing, parts manufacturing, assembling and test-flying, Pang said.

It can fly up to 1,800 meters high at 207 km per hour, and cover 722 kilometers with a full fuel tank, Pang said.

The annual demand for L162 ranges between 1,000 to 1,200, according to Cessna's forecast.

Currently, a total of 1,000 customers are waiting for delivery and SAC will start mass production since the first delivery and the yearly capacity is estimated to reach 1,000 planes, Pang said.

Each L162 is priced at US$111,500.

Cessna and SAC started cooperation in developing and producing the plane in November 2007.

SAC, established in 1951, is a renowned Chinese military-civil plane manufacturer under AVIC (Aviation Industries of China) Corporation.

Cessna is a leading designer and manufacturer of light and midsize business jets, utility turboprops and single engine aircraft. It has so far sold more than 190,000 aircraft.

(Xinhua News Agency October 2, 2009)