RuAviation

On 12 February 2013, the Sukhoi Superjet 100 Long Range (SSJ100LR), an extended-range version of the domestic passenger aircraft Sukhoi Superjet 100, took to the skies for the first time. The press office of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute named after N.E. Zhukovsky (TsAGI) provided details on how the aircraft underwent testing in the institute’s wind tunnels.

The Superjet family has proven itself well in short-haul operations and is actively exported to foreign partners. The SSJ100LR boasts an increased range of 4,320 km compared to the base model’s 2,960 km. Its maximum cruise speed is Mach 0.81, with a cruise altitude of 12,200 metres. The required runway length for take-off is 1,940 metres. Additionally, the new version can carry more fuel and is equipped with modern SaM146 1S18 engines, which provide a 5% increase in thrust during take-off.

The extended-range SSJ100, like the base model, underwent a series of tests at TsAGI. The institute has been working on the SSJ family since 2001. TsAGI developed the aerodynamic wing configuration for the new Sukhoi Superjet 100 and conducted tests on static and thermal strength, among others. The airframe of the SSJ100LR was delivered to the institute from Komsomolsk-on-Amur in November 2014 for endurance testing.

In 2016, TsAGI specialists completed flutter tests on a dynamically scaled model of the SSJ100LR. The experiments were conducted in a large subsonic wind tunnel. As a result, data on the behaviour of the actual aircraft in flight at speeds of 800–900 km/h were obtained. The tests involved a dynamically scaled model, the RRJ-95LR-100, with a new wing featuring a modified structural-strength scheme and redistributed stiffness. This modification increases the critical speed at which dangerous oscillations of the aircraft’s components occur.

TsAGI specialists and Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company carried out work that, alongside increasing the flight range, ensured the RRJ-95LR-100’s safety from flutter. Additionally, various types of wingtips, including vertical and sabre-shaped ones, were jointly investigated. Work on sabre-shaped wingtips was conducted under conditions close to natural in a transonic wind tunnel. The scientific results allowed these design elements to be implemented on the SSJ100 aircraft.

During the testing of the SSJ100LR, the longest flight was conducted in 2018, lasting 5 hours and 10 minutes. This record was surpassed in 2022 during a test flight of an aircraft converted from the LR version to a business version with an additional fuel tank. The aircraft remained airborne for 7 hours and 45 minutes.

The longest flight of the SSJ100LR operated by Rossiya Airlines, its largest operator, was recorded on the Moscow (Sheremetyevo) – Almaty route, which was active in 2022-2023. The flight duration between the two capitals was 5 hours and 5 minutes, with the SSJ100LR covering a distance of 4,025 km.