SSJ-100 aircraft engines to be upgraded: Major changes in Russian aviation

Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has announced a large-scale plan to modernize the initial modifications of SSJ-100 passenger aircraft. As part of this program, the SaM146 engines, produced in Russian-French cooperation, will be completely replaced by domestic PD-8 units on 50 to 100 aircraft. This step is seen as a strategic move to ensure the stability of Russian civil aviation. This is reported by Ixbt.com news.

According to a statement by UAC head Vadim Badekha at the "Innoprom" exhibition, the need to replace the engines is due to the limited technical resources of the SaM146 models. Currently, the certification process for the SSJ-100 modification equipped with PD-8 engines is ongoing. According to the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, the main R&D work for this program is scheduled for 2026–2027.

The fate of avionics and foreign systems

Interestingly, the corporation does not plan to replace foreign avionics systems on the aircraft. Badekha noted that the foreign-made systems are currently operating without issues and no significant difficulties are observed in their maintenance. This situation will continue in a manner similar to the maintenance of avionics on other foreign aircraft operated in Russia.

Experts believe that engines have been the main obstacle to the long-term use of SSJ-100 aircraft. Switching to PD-8 engines will solve this problem for many years and increase the flight safety and economic efficiency of the aircraft. This plays an important role in ensuring the continuity of regional air travel.

Financing and project cost

The costs of engine replacement are expected to be covered directly by the airlines' own funds. The UAC leadership stated that the cost of this modernization will be at an acceptable level for carriers and will not require direct funding from the federal budget.

Vadim Badekha also denied reports previously circulated in the media that the program cost would amount to 115 billion rubles. According to him, such figures are not accurate. The price of engines and modernization works is clearly defined and is not as high as to require tens or hundreds of billions, but is proportional to standard aviation works of this type.

This update is an important milestone in the Russian aviation industry's import substitution policy, which will serve to reduce technical support costs for the aircraft fleet in the long term.