Rosaviatsiya, the Federal Air Transport Agency of Russia, has certified ten Russian-made components of the aircraft’s integrated flight control system, marking another major step toward the elimination of foreign equipment from the SJ-100 regional passenger aircraft. The aircraft’s primary control surfaces are equipped with electrohydraulic servo actuators, a thrust lever assembly, and a sidestick that pilots employ to operate the aircraft. This equipment has been recently approved.
The development is especially noteworthy due to the fact that the original Sukhoi Superjet 100 was dependent on an integrated fly-by-wire flight control system supplied by Liebherr-Aerospace of Germany. The SJ-100 import-substituted program is in the process of developing a domestic replacement, which will reduce the aircraft’s reliance on foreign suppliers for the control architecture, cockpit interfaces, and associated hardware.
Certification is granted to ten Russian components
Ten certificates of airworthiness for components were issued under the SJ-100 import-substitution program, as per Rosaviatsiya. The certified equipment includes the aircraft’s sidestick and engine thrust lever assembly, as well as four categories of electrohydraulic servo actuators. The Moscow Institute of Electromechanics and Automation (MIEA), which is a subsidiary of the Radio-Electronic Technologies Concern (KRET), was responsible for the development of the integrated flight control system. The components were developed through collaboration between several Russian companies.
The electrohydraulic actuators EGSP-RV, EGSP-RN, EGSP-E, and EGSP-I were developed by Pavlovsk Mechanical Plant Voskhod for the elevator, rudder, ailerons, and spoilers, respectively. The aircraft’s control surfaces are capable of responding to pilot inputs and commands from the flight control system as a result of the conversion of electrical control commands into hydraulic movement by these actuators.
The sidestick and engine thrust lever assembly were developed by Aviaavtomatika, which was named after V. V. Tarasov. These components serve as the physical interface between the aircraft’s control systems and the flight personnel, enabling pilots to regulate engine thrust and direct aircraft maneuvers.
The certificates verify that the components have successfully completed the necessary safety and qualification evaluations. They represent advancements that surpass the mere production of prototypes: the equipment has successfully completed the necessary evaluations to fulfill its intended function in the aircraft’s certified configuration.
What Is Russia Replacing, and Where Did the Original System Come From?
The integrated fly-by-wire flight control system, which was originally developed and supplied by Liebherr-Aerospace of Germany, is the main foreign system that is being replaced. In the early 2000s, Liebherr was chosen as the supplier of the Superjet 100’s flight control system during the aircraft’s initial development program. The system comprised flight control computers, cockpit controls, and ancillary equipment. The company subsequently confirmed that it had delivered complete flight control system shipsets for the aircraft.
Electronic signaling and powered actuators replace traditional direct mechanical connections between cockpit controls and aircraft control surfaces in fly-by-wire technology. The system processes the command and operates the appropriate actuators to move the elevator, ailerons, or rudder when a pilot moves the sidestick. Flight control computers can also monitor aircraft conditions and implement control laws to assist in maintaining the necessary handling characteristics, contingent upon the system architecture.
Instead of a collection of disparate mechanical components, Liebherr’s original Superjet flight control system was a sophisticated, integrated installation. According to its 2015 announcement, the company’s flight control and air management systems were composed of over 600 components. The figure included the two primary systems in their entirety, rather than the flight control system alone.
The new Russian equipment is designed to assume the relevant functions that were previously supported by the foreign system. Nevertheless, the most recent certification announcement does not establish that each component of the original installation has been replaced, nor does it provide a component-by-component cross-reference to individual Liebherr part numbers.
Digital Control and Electrohydraulic Actuation
A critical aspect of the actuators developed in Russia is their use of digital electronic control units that communicate via high-speed digital interfaces. This architecture decreases the quantity of analog wired connections in the aircraft’s flight control system, as indicated by the technical description published by Rosaviatsiya.
The distinction matters in modern aircraft design. A control surface is moved by an electrohydraulic actuator, which combines hydraulic force with electronic command processing to resist aerodynamic loads. The overall safety and performance of the system are contingent upon the complete architecture, redundancy, software, and hardware implementation, although digital interfaces can facilitate connections between control electronics and actuators.
The four actuator types serve seperate purposes. The elevator is responsible for pitch control, the rudder for yaw control, the ailerons for roll control, and the spoilers for managing lift and drag. The aircraft’s handling is contingent upon their dependable operation during takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, and landing.
The engine propulsion lever assembly and the sidestick are both of equal significance. The pilot’s primary manual control inputs are provided by them, and the electronic flight control system translates these commands into the corresponding aircraft responses. Consequently, the certification of these components encompasses the aircraft’s control mechanisms and the interfaces through which pilots operate them.
Certification, Testing, and Safety
Environmental testing, structural-strength and service-life assessments, and verification of essential software and hardware comprised the qualification program. The components’ characteristics were also evaluated favorably during the aircraft’s certification flight tests, according to Rosaviatsiya. The necessary level of safety assurance was assessed in relation to the development and production processes.
All of these prerequisites are especially critical for flight control equipment. Components must function consistently in the presence of fluctuating temperatures, vibration, mechanical stresses, and other environmental factors. The broader system must also demonstrate that the aircraft maintains the necessary safe handling characteristics and that failures are appropriately managed.
Dmitry Kopysov, the head of Rosaviatsiya’s aircraft certification department, and his deputy, Ivan Tyurin, presented the certificates to enterprise representatives. The project was executed through an industrial partnership in which the participating companies were responsible for the design, prototype manufacturing, testing, and certification in accordance with the technical specifications.
A Strategic Development for the SJ-100 Program
The certification is a component of a more comprehensive initiative to convert the Superjet 100 into an aircraft that can be manufactured and supported with a significantly higher level of domestic industrial participation. The import-substitution program of Russia includes various systems, such as engines, avionics, landing gear, electrical equipment, and environmental control systems. The SJ-100 is designed to replace the foreign-supplied equipment of the original aircraft with Russian alternatives.
The development of an integrated flight control system is crucial for the Russian aerospace industry, requiring expertise in aviation safety certification, systems integration, actuators, software, and electronics. In addition, domestic production can enhance long-term control over maintenance, spare parts, and future modifications, while also reducing exposure to foreign supply restrictions.