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Russia admits challenges with import phaseout in commercial airplane manufacturing

вс, 10/03/2024 - 00:00

Rostec and its subsidiary United Aircraft Corporation have admitted being unable to hit the targets for delivering new commercial airplanes within the timeframe outlined by the government-designed program for the development of Russia’s aviation industry. Development of fully domestically-manufactured versions of Superjet 100 (SJ-100) and MC-21 will take at least year or two longer than expected.

Deliveries of the production SJ-100 regional jets have shifted to 2026, whereas the medium-haul MC-21 airliners are not expected to enter service before 2025, RBC newswire reported citing UAC. On February 29 head of Rostec Sergey Chemezov admitted that MC-21 deliveries could shift further. “Yes, most probably [2025], maybe even 2026,” Interfax newswire quoted him saying.

Rostec controls the entire process of MC-21 manufacturing. Along with UAC, it also includes engine-manufacturer UEC and aircraft subsystem suppliers.

Recently the delay in the MC-21 program schedule was cautiously mentioned by industry and trade minister Denis Manturov, who oversees the program on the part of the government.

The first two fully Russian-made SJ-100 were supposed to be certified and delivered to the launch customer Aeroflot group in 2023, the first batch of six MC-21s was scheduled to follow before the end of 2024.

In the autumn of 2023 Aeroflot signed a contract with lessor Aviacapital-Service for financial lease of 18 MC-21-310s and 34 SJ-100s. It is part of umbrella order for 89 SJ-100s and 210 MC-21s, which makes up over 70% of the order book for these models.

UAC explained the delays with the difficulties that suppliers face with designing completely new aircraft systems, gaining new competences and conducting full-scale testing, as well as launching serial production within very tight timeframe.

The test SJ-100 with domestically-built systems, but still using the SaM-146 engines designed within the framework of French-Russian joint project, made its maiden flight in August 2023. The first flight with the Russian PD-8 engines was expected to occur the same year, however the maturation process for the Russian-made powerplant is taking extra time. About 80% of all equipment on this aircraft needs to be replaced with Russian parts.

MC-21 with Russian engines PD-14 was certified in late 2022, but 36 outstanding imported systems still need to be replaced on the type, including hydraulics, elements of avionics, air conditioning systems, landing gear and cabin equipment.

The first flight of the partly modified MC-21, initially planned for November 2023 didn’t happen. Rostec explained, that the final layout of the fully Russian-built aircraft would be shaped in the second half of 2024.

Russia approves MC-21 to carry 211 passengers

сб, 30/12/2023 - 00:00

Russia's new MC-21-300/310 medium-haul aircraft is now allowed to carry 211 passengers, it follows from the approval of the main change to the type certificate.

The necessary approval was issued by Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia on December 26. Previously, the yet-to-be-mass-built jet was allowed to carry maximum 175 or 26 less.

Before the approval was issued, tests on emergency evacuation of passengers and crew were conducted. The compliance of the aircraft with all airworthiness standards was confirmed, as well as the functioning of the MC-21 emergency rescue equipment.

In addition, the efficiency of cabin and flight crew training and the quality of the developed operational documentation were demonstrated, the aircraft manufacturer claims.

The approval issued by Rosaviatsia will allow to provide airlines with MC-21 featuring all layout variants, including the most capacious one, noted Andrey Boginsky, Deputy general director of the United Aircraft Corporation - General Director of PJSC "Yakovlev".

Certification and the start of deliveries of the import-substituted version of Russia's new MC-21 medium-haul aircraft are still scheduled for 2024. However, the first flight of the Russified version of MC-21-310RUS has already been shifted from 2023 to 2024.

UAC postponed maiden flight of Russian-powered Superjet to 2024

сб, 30/12/2023 - 00:00

The first flight of the import-substituted version of the SJ-100 regional jet, formerly referred to as Superjet-NEW, powered by domestically-built PD-8 engines has been postponed to 2024, United Aircraft Corporation head Yury Slyusar told Russian state-owned TV news channel Rossiya 24.

The new model will feature PD-8 powerplants instead of original SaM146.

The new engines have already been installed on a prototype, but the aircraft manufacturer is waiting for authorization from the engine maker, United Engine Corporation.

As recently as November, the head of Rostec's parent state corporation, Sergei Chemezov, promised in an interview with the same TV channel that the first flight of PD-8-powered jet would take place in December.

According to the government program, the SJ-100 was to be certified by the end of 2023 and started to be delivered to Rossiya Airlines of Aeroflot Group.

Development of the import-substituted SJ-100 accelerated in 2022, when it became clear that production of the basic version of the Superjet 100 was impossible due to international sanctions imposed on Russia over the Ukrainian conflict.

Expecting delays in the creation of a new engine, UAC went down the path of step-by-step testing of the Superjet 100 successor. A prototype, where Western subsystems, except for the engines, were replaced with Russian components, made its first flight at the end of August.

To perform flight tests of the PD-8, on the contrary, the original Superjet 100 will be used, on which only the engines will be replaced.

Imported components on commercial aircraft will be replaced in two years – Russian ministry

ср, 27/12/2023 - 00:00

The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade has admitted the possibility of further delays in bringing import-substituted versions of Russian passenger aircraft to the market. 

"In the next two years, we will replace imported components and details in the Tu-214, Superjet and MC-21 aircraft," Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said at meeting of the Presidential Council for Strategic Development and National Projects last week.

The development of so-called import-substituted versions of these aircraft became a necessity in 2022, after Western suppliers stopped providing their products to Russia following military conflict in Ukraine.

The Russian government adopted a program for the development of the Russian aviation industry until 2030, which clearly defined the terms and annual volumes of deliveries of import-substituted aircraft, which should gradually replace Western airliners in the fleets of Russian airlines.

According to the program, the first two all-Russian SJ-100 regional jets (formerly known as Superjet-New) were to be delivered in 2023. But at recent Dubai Airshow, Yury Slyusar, head of the United Aircraft Corporation, said that the first deliveries would be postponed until 2024 because of delays in certifying the new Russian PD-8 engine for the regional jet.

About 80% of components are needed to be replaced at Superjet (including engines) with Russian analogs. The partially import-substituted SJ-100 started test flights in August.

The first three Tu-214 narrowbodies were also to be delivered to local airlines in 2023. The government initially positioned this aircraft as fully Russian, but it soon became clear that about 13% of its equipment, including avionics components and escape ladders, needed to be replaced.

In early December, Tupolev managing director Vadim Korolev confirmed that deliveries of new Tu-214s would begin in 2024. He attributed the delays to difficulties in scaling up production from the current annual pace of only two aircraft

Certification and the start of deliveries of an import-substituted version of Russia's new MC-21 medium-haul aircraft is still scheduled for 2024. However, the first flight of the Russified MC-21-310RUS version has already been shifted from 2023 to 2024. Some 36 imported major systems are needed to be replaced in the aircraft.

The government expects UAC to produce 142 SJ-100s, 270 MC-21-310RUSs and 115 Tu-214s by 2030.

Restored Il-96-400T freighter put into commercial operations

вс, 24/12/2023 - 00:00

An Ilyushin IL-96-400T cargo widebody aircraft, which has undergone the airworthiness restoration procedure, has entered revenue service started commercial operation at resurrected Sky Gates Airlines, United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), the beneficiary of both the cargo airline and manufacturer of the aircraft, said.

On Dec. 10, the IL-96-400T (RA-96103) made its first commercial flight carrying a general cargo from Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan, to Zhukovsky Airport near Moscow, the carrier's base.

Red Wings Airlines (owned by UAC) acquired Sky Gates Airlines in August this year. Sky Gates, former Boeing 747Fs operator, was one of initial victims of 2022 Western sanctions against Russia, halting flights within days of the start of Russia-Ukraine military conflict.

Originally, two restored Il-96-400Ts were intended to private cargo specialist AirBridgeCargo (Volga-Dnepr Group) - RA-96103 was even repainted in its livery, but ended up going to the state-owned company.

The aircraft was built in 2009 at the Voronezh Aircraft Building Company (VASO). In preparation for the Il-96-400T airworthiness certificate issued in September 2023, the leasing company - Ilyushin Finance Co. conducted a set of measures to return the aircraft to service; VASO carried out work that included taking the aircraft out of long-term storage, heavy maintenance, and fulfillment of all current service bulletins.

The IL-96-400T is a 9.35 m longer version of the IL-96-300 base aircraft; it is powered with four PS-90A1 engines. The maximum commercial load is 92 tons. The range at maximum load is 5,000 km; with a 40-ton load, the aircraft can fly 12,000 km, according to UAC.

The Sky Gates fleet is currently comprises two airplanes - IL-76TD and IL-96-400T. In the future, the airline plans to increase its fleet with Russian-made airplanes.

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