MOSCOW, May 14. /TASS/. Russia’s United Engine Corporation (UEC, part of the state tech corporation Rostec) has completed certification tests of the PD-8 aircraft engine and is expected to receive a type certificate soon, the state corporation reported.

The power units have logged over 6,500 operating hours, confirming the quality of their design solutions during onboard tests and bench tests.

"Rostec is consistently fulfilling the task set by the country’s leadership to create fully import-substituted aircraft and their key systems. The completion of the PD-8 certification tests is a significant milestone in this direction. The engine has proven its high reliability, safety, and operational readiness in the most challenging conditions. This is the result of the extensive work of thousands of specialists in our engine-building industry. We expect to receive a type certificate for the engine in the very near future, which will bring the certification of the import-substituted Superjet airliner closer," Rostec said.

As part of the certification tests, the PD-8 was tested in icing conditions on a test bench and on a Sukhoi Superjet-100 (SSJ-100) airliner during flights in the Arkhangelsk region. The engine also demonstrated reliable operation during 150-hour trials simulating long-term operation, and passed extreme tests involving bird and water intrusion, as well as fan blade failure. The final check took place in April on an open test bench, simulating the aircraft's entry into a hail cloud.

"The PD-8 has undergone extensive testing with 2025, when its testing began on Superjet aircraft. The engine operated for a total of 6,590 hours, including 1,449 hours on Superjets and the flying testbed, and the remainder on test benches. The Russian engine demonstrated high reliability and safety, even under critical conditions. The resulting documentation package will be submitted to the Federal Air Transport Agency for review. "We expect to receive the type certificate soon," noted UEC Deputy Director of Sales Fyodor Mironov as quoted in the statement.

Twenty-five critical technologies, 17 of which were completely new, were developed and implemented during the engine’s development. The PD-8 has now completed the defect detection process: UEC-Saturn specialists disassembled it down to the smallest detail to analyze the condition of all components after extreme operation. Rostec specified that this procedure was performed more than a hundred times during testing. This is necessary to compile the documentation required to obtain the type certificate for the PD-8 engine.

"The PD-8 was developed in accordance with the most modern certification requirements. It is the most advanced engine in its size category among all those currently designed and ready for commissioning. The engine is all-climate and has a wide operating temperature range. "We have created a basic engine, the gas generator of which could later find application in ground-based energy and the gas transportation industry," CEO of UEC-Saturn Ilya Konyukhov said.