Ilya Vedmedenko11:22, 17.03.25

The upgraded aircraft remained in the air for about 40 minutes and reached a speed of 500 km/h.

The prototype of the Superjet airliner (SJ-100) made its first flight with new Russian PD-8 engines. This was reported by the press service of the Rostec corporation .

“The aircraft was in the air for about 40 minutes, reached a speed of 500 km/h and an altitude of up to 3000 m. The flight mission was completed in full. The PD-8 demonstrated stable operation – the gas-dynamic stability of the engines in constant and variable modes was assessed during the flight,” the Russian state corporation said in a statement.

According to the Russians, after the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war and the introduction of sanctions, the aircraft had to be essentially “reassembled from scratch.” In total, about 40 imported systems and units are being replaced as part of the “import substitution” work, in particular, engines, avionics, chassis, and auxiliary power unit.

Deliveries of the import-substituting SJ-100, equipped with PD-8, are expected in 2026. In total, more than 230 Superjet airliners have been built to date.

The prototype of the Superjet airliner made its first flight with new Russian engines

UNIAN reference . PD-8 is a turbofan engine, which was created on the basis of technical solutions of another new Russian engine – PD-14. The total weight of the product is 2300 kg. In addition to the “Superjet”, it can also be used on the Be-200 amphibious aircraft.

The Russians have encountered difficulties in developing the engine more than once. For example, in December 2023, during tests, the PD-8 “did not confirm its characteristics”, which is why the engine needed to be modified.

(c)UNIAN 2025