Serial production of Russia's import-substituting SJ-100 aircraft to begin

A major turning point is expected in the Russian aviation industry: serial production of SJ-100 passenger aircraft, assembled entirely from domestic components, will start this autumn. This project is seen as one of the largest steps toward ensuring the independence of Russian civil aviation amid Western sanctions. This is reported by Ixbt.com reports .

Khabarovsk Krai Governor Dmitry Demeshin told TASS that all foreign technologies in the Sukhoi Superjet project have been replaced with Russian analogs. Currently, final preparations are underway to launch production lines at full capacity. This is expected to mark the beginning of a new era for the country's domestic air travel.

Technical upgrades and PD-8 engines

The SJ-100 aircraft is a deeply modernized version of the previous Sukhoi Superjet 100 model. Its main difference is that almost all of the aircraft's systems, including avionics, landing gear, and most importantly, engines, are manufactured in Russia. The foreign engines used in previous models have now been replaced by domestic PD-8 units.

As a reminder, the first test flight of the fully import-substituted SJ-100 aircraft equipped with PD-8 engines was successfully carried out in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. These tests proved that the aircraft meets international safety standards and is technically on par with its predecessors.

Domestic market demand

According to Governor Demeshin, the demand for new aircraft among Russian airlines and regions is currently very high. Experts estimate the domestic market's need at approximately 100 new aircraft. It is planned that part of this demand will be met by SJ-100 aircraft, and another part by Il-114 models.

Developing regional aviation is of strategic importance for Russia, as there is a shortage of modern short- and medium-haul airliners to connect the country's vast regions. The SJ-100 is designed to fill this gap.

The success of this project is expected to have a positive impact not only on the transport sector but also on the high-tech branches of the Russian economy. Serial production of the new aircraft will allow for the preservation of thousands of jobs and the revitalization of the aviation components industry.