Airlines ask for SSJ 100 engine designer

The Association of Air Transport Operators (AEVT) turned to the Ministry of Transport with a request to propose to the Government of the Russian Federation to give the UEC-Saturn enterprise (part of the Rostec UEC) the status of the developer of the SaM146 engine for the SSJ 100. About this informs “Kommersant” with reference to the letter of the head of the AEVT Vladimir Tasun addressed to the head of the Ministry of Transport Vitaly Savelyev. The receipt of the document was confirmed by the department.

As the newspaper explains, the developer is the holder of the SaM146 type certificate of the PowerJet JV, registered in France (50% each from UEC-Saturn and Safran Aircraft Engines). The granting of this status to UEC-Saturn is necessary for carrying out overhauls and coordinating changes to the aircraft documentation. The company now holds the SaM146 engine modification certificate, under which it is responsible for minor changes, including updating spare parts catalogs, issuing service bulletins, etc.

One of the sources explained that “for obvious reasons, no one wants to take responsibility for the engine.” Another interlocutor added that some types of work are “technically feasible, but not documented”, which is why responsibility in case of possible incidents “remains blurred”. At the same time, another source called the issue of responsibility not paramount. He noted that the restoration of the hot part of the engine in Russia has not been mastered.

Rostec clarified that the French Safran Aircraft Engines was responsible for the hot part of the engine (gas generator as part of the high-pressure compressor, combustion chamber and high-pressure turbine, etc.), and UEC-Saturn was responsible for the cold part (production of a fan and a low-pressure turbine). pressure, etc.).

Similarly, responsibility was distributed between companies for the supply of spare parts for repair and maintenance of operation, the state corporation specified. Now in Russia they are creating a number of foreign components, but the key issue is not speed, but reliability, they concluded.

At the end of December 2022, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov in an interview with Vedomosti informedthat the replacement of SaM146 on the current generation of SSJ100 with Russian PD-8 is not yet provided. Commenting on the difficulties with the replacement of foreign components, he expressed the hope that the total cannibalism of aircraft in Russia would not come.