The first flight of the Sukhoi Superjet New aircraft will take place in May this year

The first flight of the Sukhoi Superjet New (SSJ-New) aircraft will take place in May. This was announced by the General Director of the Ulyanovsk Instrument Design Bureau (UKBP, part of Rostec) Alexander Voit.

“The first flight of SSJ New is scheduled for May. Everything that the pilots see in the cockpit is made in the UKBP, everything that signals the pilot is also done. This is the most significant event that we are all looking forward to this year,” said the CEO (quote according to RIA Novosti).

Voight noted that on-board radio-electronic equipment, indication systems, control panels, as well as external and internal lighting equipment are “the main project that is being implemented both at our enterprise and in the country.”

SSJ-New is a new, “import-substituted” version of the short-haul Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100), consisting of 70% of 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, on which the SSJ-New will fly. The current SSJ100 is powered by a Franco-Russian Sam146 engine, which has been discontinued.

After the start of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, the EU, the UK and the US imposed sanctions against the Russian aviation industry, including a complete ban on the supply of aircraft and components. Boeing and Airbus aircraft, which form the basis of the Russian fleet, fell under it. Aircraft insurance and maintenance were banned, and foreign leasing companies began to recall aircraft already delivered.

As a response to the current situation, the government of the Russian Federation in June 2022 approved a new program for the development of the aviation industry. It provides for the supply of 1,036 aircraft for the needs of civil aviation until 2030, including 142 SSJ-New and 270 MS-21-310 aircraft.

In 2022, Russian aircraft manufacturers represented by the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC, part of Rostec) signed an agreement of intent with Aeroflot for the supply of 339 aircraft. According to the document, “Aeroflot» on a lease basis from 2023 to 2030 will receive 210 MS-21 aircraft, 89 SSJ New aircraft and 40 Tu-214 aircraft. It was noted that the first two SSJs will be handed over to the airline next year, and the delivery of the first MS-21 and Tu-214 is scheduled for 2024.

In early March of this year, Minister of Transport and Communications of Belarus Alexei Avramenko toldthat the republic has reached certain preliminary agreements with Russia on the supply of Russian aircraft SSJ-New and MS-21.

February 17, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin declaredthat the republic produces “up to a thousand” components for the SSJ100 and MS-21. Then he added that the country’s factories are also ready to produce Russian MiG-25 attack aircraft.