New Russian Space Shuttle is in the Works!

Russian spaceship-building company Energia proposes to build launch facilities of a reusable manned systems Cliper at Plesetsk site as well as at older Baikonur launch pad. This was declared by the head of the corporation Nikolai Sevastyanov.
RSC Energia, RSC Progress, Sukhoy offer to stage a new project of a new generation space shuttles code named Cliper. Meanwhile, USA is currently working on a project Orion. They plan to create a carrier by the year 2011, a manned spacecraft to 2014.
"If we do not start the program to get the new generation transport system, States would leave us behind by the year 2015," warned Sevastyanov. In his view, Cliper has a number of advantages over its American counterpart. Specifically, the Russian ship will be 20 cubic metres worth, Orion - 14, nominal g-force while landing in a Russian spacecraft is 2.5g, Orion - 4.5g (a current version of Souz get by a 4g mark). A cost of getting one man into space is $9M for a Cliper and $45M for Orion.
"Transition to Cliper system will allow Russia to keep its dominance over the space market and break out of the red in the manned space program," - said the head of RSC. He estimates that the new transport system will meet the challenges of delivering and returning a cargo to the ISS, maintaining automated industrial facilities and giving some capabilities of autonomous manned flights with classified objectives.
"RSC anticipates that the first flight apparatus tests will be held in 2013, " - said Sevastyanov. "Then, in the first stage a fleet of five ships will be set up. We are going to make Cliper a Russian-only project, and to involve in its implementation facilities of more than 41 Russian regions".
In response to a question whether a Cliper appearance is finalized, Sevastyanov said: "Efforts are made to refine the aerodynamics of the ship. We are at the stage of completion of the technical proposals, so there could be some changes. The form is not ideal, but it could be done".
Referring to the problem of overheating problems, Sevastyanov recalled that the Soviet ship Buran was tiled with 36 thousand hydrocarbon tiles. Cliper will use 1,200 tiles sized of 15 x 15 cm.