United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), a subsidiary of Rostec, reported that a proven prototype of the domestically manufactured Superjet 100 (SSJ-100) aircraft had arrived at the M.M. Gromov Flight Research Institute in Zhukovsky, close to Moscow, in preparation for flight certification tests.
The proven sample of the Yakovlev PJSC-developed domestic regional aircraft Superjet 100 has arrived at the M.M. Gromov Flight Research Institute’s airfield in Zhukovsky, having completed the factory refinement testing program. UAC clarified that the aircraft will be prepared for flight certification tests at this location.
After an approximate six-thousand-kilometer journey, the Yakovlev production center in Komsomolsk-on-Amur-assembled aircraft made an intermediate landing at Tolmachevo Airport in Novosibirsk before reaching its destination in Zhukovsky.
According to Andrey Boginsky, Yakovlev’s General Director and Deputy Director General for Civil Aviation at UAC, the outcome of factory refinement testing is a critical phase of the program preceding the beginning of certification tests.
“To expedite certification, we are conducting flights on the first experimental sample with Franco-Russian SaM146 engines. Meanwhile, the rest of the aircraft’s key systems, including avionics, landing gear, auxiliary power unit, comprehensive control system, and power supply system, are already Russian-made on this SJ-100,” he said.
“When the PD-8 engine completes the planned additional tests, two more experimental aircraft will join the flights. ‘In total, we have to complete over 200 test flights to ensure the aircraft’s safety for future passengers by 200%,’ summarized the Deputy Director General for Civil Aviation of UAC.
Upon arrival at the M.M. Gromov Flight Research Institute’s aerodrome, the SJ-100 was transferred to the Yakovlev Aviation and Technical Complex, where the aircraft will undergo preparation for the execution of the flight certification test program.
Honored test pilot Leonid Chikunov, who piloted the aircraft, noted that the flight went excellently, and there were no complaints about the performance of the onboard systems.
“The flight was performed according to the standard profile, similar to the base aircraft, at an altitude of 11 kilometers and a speed exceeding 800 kilometers per hour. We also completed a landing at Tolmachevo Airport, indicating this aircraft’s high readiness. Now we must confirm its high characteristics during the flight certification tests,” he said.
The SJ-100 is a regional narrow-body aircraft being developed as part of the import substitution program for systems and components. It will become another model in the family of currently operating Superjet aircraft.
The Deputy Director General for Civil Aviation of UAC outlined two additional experimental aircraft that will join the flights once the PD-8 engine completes the planned additional tests. He added, “To ensure the aircraft’s safety for future passengers by 200%, we must complete over 200 test flights in total.”
The SJ-100 was transferred from the M.M. Gromov Flight Research Institute airport to the Yakovlev Aviation and Technical Complex, where it will be prepared to participate in the flight certification test program.
The aircraft was flown by the esteemed test pilot Leonid Chikunov, who reported that the journey was flawless and that there were no grievances regarding the functionality of the onboard systems.
“The flight was performed according to the standard profile, similar to the base aircraft, at an altitude of 11 kilometers and a speed exceeding 800 kilometers per hour. We also completed a landing at Tolmachevo Airport, which indicates the high readiness of this aircraft. Now we must confirm its high characteristics during the flight certification tests,” he said.
The development of the SJ-100, a regional narrow-body aircraft, is a component of the import substitution program for systems. The airliner will be integrated into the existing Superjet aircraft family as a new variant.
