Rostec: SSJ-New will make its first flight on Franco-Russian engines

The first flight of the Sukhoi Superjet New (SSJ-New) aircraft will be powered by Franco-Russian SaM146 engines. About it told in Rostec after the visiting session of the Scientific and Technical Council of the Irkut Corporation.

Rostec announced that they had reached the finish line, the first flight of the SSJ-New would take place in the near future, and based on the results of the session, a final list of ground checks was formed before the start of flight tests.

The aircraft will make its first flight on Franco-Russian Sam146 engines, which are equipped with the current Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100). As explained in Rostec, this is necessary to “accelerate the test program.” “The second prototype will begin a flight test program with domestic PD-8 engines, which are expected to arrive in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the coming weeks,” the state corporation said.

Factory finishing tests should begin within a few weeks, said Andrey Boginsky, general director of Irkut. After that, Rosaviatsia specialists will conduct certification tests, “following which the imported systems will be approved for use on board.” Boginsky added that this will allow the launch of serial production and commercial operation of the aircraft.

The deputy head of Rostec, Vladimir Artyakov, said that the SSJ-New has a domestic control system, avionics, hydraulic system, landing gear and much more. “The first flight will take place in the near future, after checking the equipment on the ground. Their goal is to ensure the safety of passengers, because in the future, SSJ-NEW, together with the medium-haul MS-21, will become the basis of the fleet of Russian airlines,” Artyakov said.

SSJ-New is a new, “import-substituted” version of the short-haul SSJ100, which consists of 70% foreign components. As Vedomosti wrote, the development of SSJ-New will cost 120-130 billion rubles. This amount also includes the creation of the Russian PD-8 engine. In April, the Ministry of Industry and Trade reported that a certificate for the PD-8 engine for the SSJ 100 was expected in September of this year.

The SaM146 engines are a joint project of the French concern Safran and the Russian NPO Saturn. Repair of the “hot part” of the engine is possible only in France.

At the end of May, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Khabarovsk Territory Yevgeny Romanov informedthat the first flight of the SSJ-New aircraft will take place in June, but the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia denied this statement, specifying that at that time the council meeting on admission to the first flight had not yet been held.