Russia defies sanctions with homemade Sukhoi Superjet
On August 29, a Russian passenger jet that was almost entirely made of domestically produced parts successfully completed its first test flight. The launch gave Yakovlev Design Bureau and United Aircraft Corporation’s( UAC ) respective shares on the Moscow Exchange an encouraging boost.
The new Sukhoi Superjet 100 & nbsp,( SSJ – 100 ), is a narrow-body regional aircraft that, depending on seat configuration, can carry 87 to 108 passengers. It was designed by Yakovlev and produced by UAC at its Komsomolsk-na-Amure factory.
It aims to engage on international markets with Brazil’s narrow-body, little – to medium-range Embraer E190.
According to local reports, the SSJ-100 climbed to a maximum altitude of 3, 000 feet and sped up to 343 kilometers per hour during the 54-minute check journey. The secure operation of all techniques, as well as the stability and security of the plane in flight, were all confirmed, according to the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade.
In 2008, the first SSJ-100, which was mostly made of foreign parts and components, took to the skies. In the new edition, around 40 imported methods and parts have been swapped out for Russian-made options.
The aircraft, avionics, journey control system, and supplementary power unit, as well as the cabin’s power supply, air conditioning, fire protection equipment, are indigenously made components.
The test program was accelerated by SaM-146 engines, which were created as a joint venture between Safran Aircraft Engines of France and United Engine Corporation( UEC ) of Russia, but they will soon be replaced by fully domestic-made PD-8 engines made by UEC-Saturn, according to Russian media reports. SaM – 146 vehicles, which were produced in both France and Russia, were used to power the SSJ-100 from the beginning.
But, PD-8 engine-equipped SSJ-100 aviation will need to be tested individually. The original deadline for documentation was the end of 2023, but Andrey Velichko, the director of the Russian Aviation online site, believes that it would be more practical to achieve certification by August of next year. It is anticipated that deliveries will be made to Aeroflot and various domestic flights.
It is instructive to compare China’s COMAC C919 customer plane. The C919, which completed its first commercial trip in May, is built in China, but important parts are purchased from foreign vendors, including major American aerospace firms and their mutual projects there.
A joint venture between GE Aviation and Safran, LEAP turbofan jet engines from CFM International, Collins Aerospace aircraft and house systems, Honeywell flight settings, axles, and brakes, as well as hydraulic, actuator and energy systems.
The aircraft, arms, forged components, and other essential components and materials for the C919 are supplied by Chinese subcontractors. Last March, it was reported that the CJ-1000A, a substitute website created by Aero Engine Corporation of China, was undergoing flight testing. According to theoretical information information, documentation for the C919 does be feasible by 2025.
The Bureau of Industry and Security of the US Department of Commerce imposed limits on the export of goods with military uses to Russia prior to the Ukraine War, which is when Russia’s plane import substitution plan began.
Profits of carbon fiber supplies to Russia’s AeroComposite Corporation, a UAC company, were subject to restrictions in September 2018. Two years later, in December 2021, Irkut & nbsp, a Russian aircraft manufacturer, finished building its first passenger aircraft with wings made from AeroComposite’s substitute materials.
According to Composites World magazine, Sergei Chemezov, Director of the state-run security conglomerate Rostec,” I would like to observe that Irkut professionals were able to solve the problem of transfer replacements in the shortest possible time.” This is evidence of the development of our aircraft technology and a further triumph over sanctions.
Through the merger of Russian aircraft manufacturers Ilyushin, Irkut, Mikoyan, Sukhoi, Tupolev, and Yakolev — all names from the Soviet era— UAC was founded in 2006. Rostec, or Russia’s State Corporation for the Promotion of the Development, Manufacture, and Export of High-Tech Products, owns 92.3 % of it. UEC – Rostec is also in charge of Saturn.
Rostec, generally a security specialist, received US and EU sanctions following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Evidently, neither of those restrictions have been productive. Rostec unveiled an internet of things program solution on September 1, 2023, that was” designed to handle the status of armament, special-purpose machines, and military objects — from ships and cars to hospitals and troops— and to make their online twins.”
Shortly after the invasion of Ukraine, in March 2022, American Boeing and French Airbus ceased operations in Russia. In accordance with EU and US restrictions, the price of aircraft and extra parts, technical support, and maintenance were all formally halted. Approximately 70 % of the Russian passenger planes were impacted.
According to a Reuters report from August 2023, pieces worth at least US$ 1.2 billion had been sent to Russian airlines from China, Turkey, the UAE, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
However, Denis Manturov, Russia’s Minister of Industry and Trade, was merely stating the obvious when he told Rossiyskaya Gazetta in June that Russia must ensure modern sovereignty over important components and aerospace innovations.
At the Gorbunov Kazan Aviation Plant in Tatarstan, Rostec is also getting ready to increase production of an entirely private version of the Tupolev TU-214 customer plane. With a range of 4, 797 kilometers ( 4, 590 nautical miles ), the standard single-class cabin TU-214 can accommodate 212 passengers.
150 passengers can travel 6, 889 meters( 3,720 nautical miles ) in a two-class design. The MC-21, a new plane intended to take the place of the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, is also reportedly being developed.
If properly maintained, Russian Airlines’ Airbus and Boeing aircraft could be in support until 2030, according to Alexander Neradko, director general of the Federal Air Transport Agency of Russia.
Although production deadlines in Russia have a propensity to pass, that should be enough time for them to become replaced by completely internally manufactured aircraft.
@ ScottFo83517667 is the author’s Twitter account.
