The Moscow Times reported that on March 17, state-owned industrial and defense corporation Rostec said that Russia's Superjet passenger transport aircraft had completed its first test flight with a self-made PD-8 engine.
According to Rostec, the flight took place in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amurm, in the Far East region of Russia, lasting about 40 minutes with a speed of 500 km/h and an altitude of 3,000m.
Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov said that the PD-8 engine is a core element of the imported replacement program and emphasized that this is the "heart" of the aircraft.
Mr. Chemezov revealed that this project was completed in a much shorter period of time than global aviation standards while the Superjet almost had to be assembled from the beginning after 2022. The PD-8 engine is expected to be certified this fall.
In addition to PD8, Russia previously owned the PD-14 civil aircraft engine. The engine block was first tested with the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 - two US and Western aircraft models - in late 2020.
According to the Moscow Times, PD-14 will continue to be tested with Russia's MC-21 medium-range passenger transport aircraft in June next year. The MC-21 is advertised by Rostec as being equivalent to the Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 and is expected to be mass produced in 2026.
Chemezov said Russia has committed more than $2.7 billion to develop domestic aircraft, including the SJ-100 and MC-21.
The SJ-100 plays a central role in Russia's efforts to develop the domestic civil aviation industry, after Western sanctions have paralyzed the sector.
According to the report, the SJ-100 needs to replace 40 foreign-made components and conduct about 200 test flights to assess performance, safety and efficiency before being licensed for mass production.
Last month, the European Union (EU) announced its 16th package of sanctions, including a ban on flights in EU airspace for foreign airlines that conduct domestic flights in Russia or provide aviation equipment to Moscow.
This was once predicted to seriously affect the Russian aviation industry as the country relies heavily on imported components for aircraft repair and maintenance.
