MOSCOW, June 10. /TASS/. A prototype of the Russian short-haul SJ-100 aircraft fully assembled from domestically produced components has begun certification flight tests, the press service of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) reported.
"A prototype of the import-substituted short-haul Superjet-100 aircraft, developed by PJSC Yakovlev (part of the United Aircraft Corporation Rostec), has begun certification flight tests," the statement says.
The UAC noted that the first flight took place at the airfield of the Gromov Flight Research Institute in Zhukovsky, Moscow region. During that flight the domestic aircraft fuel system was tested. The flight went smoothly, lasting 2.5 hours. In total 15 tests were conducted and no equipment failures were observed.
"To speed up the program, the first prototype of the aircraft is flying on French-Russian SaM146 engines, two more prototypes will join the tests when the PD-8 engine is authorized for flights," the UAC press service added.
According to the general director of PJSC Yakovlev, Andrey Boginsky, the flight marked the beginning of a flight test program, which is an essential part of the certification work for the import-substituted modification of the aircraft.
"In total, by the end of 2025 we have to do about 200 flights, their intensity will certainly increase with the addition of two more prototypes to the tests, which are currently awaiting installation of PD-8 engines in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. These tests will allow us to guarantee the safety of the millions of passengers who will fly on the SJ-100 in the coming years. Today we have orders for the supply of over 150 aircraft: in addition to the contract with Aeroflot Group, these are more than 60 orders from various airlines," he said as quoted by the press service.
The SJ-100 is a short-haul narrow-body aircraft. It is being created under the program of import substitution of systems and components. The airliner will be the latest model in the family of Superjet aircraft, which is currently in operation.