MOSCOW, March 21. /TASS/. Russian Superjet and MC-21 aircraft might be exported to friendly countries, though they should first of all satisfy the domestic demand, French aviation expert Cyril de Lattre told TASS.
"I think that Superjet and other new Russian projects should first of all saturate the country’s domestic market, meet its basic needs and help get rid of foreign aircraft. As far as exports of Superjet are concerned, it may first of all be exported to Russia’s friendly countries," he said, adding that exports to European countries are impossible now as the European Union has blocked the certification of Russian aircraft.
Nevertheless, the expert believes that Russia barely produces aircraft for export due to high domestic demand. Moreover, present-day Russian aircraft are equipped with PD-8 and PD-14 engines, which consume more fuel than their foreign counterparts, such as Rolls-Royce, he added. "In Russia, oil is cheaper than in the majority of countries, which is why the consumption issue is not so pressing," de Lattre noted.
A prototype of the Superjet aircraft equipped with Russia-produced PD-8 engines completed its maiden flight on March 17. The flight performed in Komsomolsk-on-Amur lasted about 40 minutes, with the aircraft developing a speed of 500 km/h and rising to an altitude of 3,000 meters. Sergey Chemezov, director general of Russia’s Rostec state corporation, said that another import-substituted Russian jet with PD-8 engines would join the certification flight tests in April.