RuAviation

The prototype Superjet 100, bearing tail number 97012, has completed another flight as part of its factory acceptance test programme, reaching an altitude of 37,000 feet. This was announced by the press office of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).

Since March 17th, when the aircraft first took to the skies with PD-8 engines, subsequent flights have seen increases in both altitude and airspeed. During its second sortie, the aircraft spent 2 hours and 4 minutes airborne, climbing two and a half times higher than on its maiden flight – to an altitude of 25,000 feet. On a later flight, conducted on April 7th and lasting 3 hours and 13 minutes, a speed of Mach 0.78 and an altitude exceeding 36,000 feet were achieved.

Test pilots checked the gas dynamic stability of the power plant at various altitudes – from 10,000 to 37,000 feet – and at different speed regimes. “During the flight, we examined the gas dynamic stability of the engines at altitudes of 10,000, 25,000, 30,000, and 37,000 feet, across a range of airspeeds – from the minimum permitted to cruising speed. Fuel consumption runs were also conducted at cruise altitude – level flights at constant airspeed to assess the fuel efficiency of the aircraft with its new main power plant,” the UAC statement said.

A corporation representative added that the PD-8 engines demonstrated stable operation at all tested altitudes, airspeeds, and operating modes. In total, during the flight test programme, the aircraft has spent approximately 11 hours airborne since March 17th.

The programme to develop an import-substituted version of the Superjet began in 2018, and the pace of work accelerated following the imposition of Western sanctions in 2022. The goal was to certify the modified aircraft with Russian-made PD-8 engines and domestic avionics systems by the end of 2023; however, this target was not met. PJSC Yakovlev, UAC, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade now plan to complete the certification of the import-substituted aircraft and the PD-8 engine by the end of the current year and to commence commercial operation of the SJ-100 aircraft from 2026.