Russian Civil Aviation: News #4

For anyone who doesn't know. Boeing is also a quasi state owned and subsidized company. As is Airbus. So Russia is doing nothing out of the ordinary in this industry. In fact Russia is far behind in using carrots and sticks to get its domestic airlines to use domestic aircraft.

The Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im), a federal agency that subsidizes U.S. exports primarily through loan guarantees, dedicated a majority of its guarantee dollars again last year to subsidies for Boeing sales, according to the agency's annual report. Weighted by dollar value, Boeing directly benefited from 52.2% of Ex-Im's long-term loan guarantees ...



Further, in every year since 2002, Boeing has received more than 50% of Ex-Im's loan and long-term guarantee dollars. In FY 2003, for example, $4.4 billion of Ex-Im’s $6.5 billion (68.2%) in loans and long-term guarantees subsidized Boeing sales. This last year Ex-Im guaranteed $4.2 billion to subsidize Boeing aircraft, and only $3.9 billion for all other U.S. exporters combined. (Ex-Im issued no direct loans in FY 2005.)

There is a clear duopoly in aircraft manufacturing in the west in the form of Boeing and Airbus. This government-subsidized
racket cannot tolerate any real competition. Russian aircraft would be manufactured without any mafia style back room deals
and as is clear from everything NATzO does, the planet is not big enough for them. They want ownership over every square
inch of the planet.

Russian subsidies are rather late in coming and are actually justified since the west engages in dirty tricks to prevent Russia
from selling its products in the global market and even exploited the 1990s super depression to dominate the Russian
domestic market as well.

Any bitching to the WTO is not going to give the west what it wants since it is grossly violating WTO rules itself. The
retarded chimp sanctions are transparent anti-competitive coercion and cannot be claimed as unrelated to the WTO.

Remaining in theme, an interesting article about Gaidar and Livshits (nomen omen) responsibility in killing the Russian aircraft industry in the 90s

https://www.stalkerzone.org/letter-to-yeltsin-in-1995-mass-production-of-the-tu-204-is-unacceptable/

The first flight (of the Tu204) was in 1989, the first passenger flight in 1996. And in the middle, in 1992, the state development program was adopted, according to which it was necessary to produce more than 500 Tu-204 Airliners and 130 Il-96 aircraft.

As we know, there were no such figures in production. But there were purchases of supported and not very supported Boeings and Airbuses.

And it all started exactly with the collapse of the Soviet Union, when the market became open and it became inconvenient to produce their own aircraft. For example, relatively new Il-96s were written off to buy Boeings instead.

Prime Minister Gaidar’s phrase alone is worth a lot – I have agreed with Boeing, they will give us the necessary number of aircraft. Of course, they will give us a discount. In the economy, this is called dumping, in order to remove a competitor with low prices. The economist could not fail to understand this.

This can be regarded as a betrayal. Many officials of the Soviet school took these words of the young Prime Minister exactly in this way.

However, the same attitude was expressed by a more adult official – Yeltsin’s economic adviser and future Finance Minister Aleksandr Livshits

Many publicists and journalists cite his letter/note under the number A-1-1268L, written in 1995. In it, the adviser draws attention to (!) an extremely dangerous trend of mindless lobbying for the interests of the domestic aircraft industry.

Do you understand? Members of the Russian government supporting the Russian aircraft industry is dangerous and thoughtless. But that’s not all.


Livshits proposed to support the issue of the inadmissibility of the mass production of the Tu-204 aircraft for Russian air routes. In return, it is necessary to expand the purchase of advanced leasing models of foreign companies.

In other words, Gaidar’s idea continues – we don’t need our own aviation industry. It is big, there is a need to spend resources on it, a lot of people are busy… A sort of suitcase without a handle, which for some reason is supported by the government. And even thoughtlessly.

I start to believe that most economists are either criminals or plain idiots unable to see the consequences of their actions in the medium and long term.

Bean counters and accountants are always useful, but they are not supposed to overpaid buffoons involved in strategic decisions.


Furthermore they fail to understand that the finance and the tertiary sector (services, including finance)  is not more important of the agricultural and industrial sector. Services are needed to move goods and redistribute money, but they cannot become the scope of a state.

Without the basis they are useless. Furthermore, in most cases they cannot generate wealth, they can just move it from a place to another (and so making a few people extremely rich and a lot of people poorer). There is  nothing advanced in it (well maybe we can call it an advanced legalized scam, but that's  all...)

I agree that economists are mostly idiots who are engaged in a pseudo-science. Economists chimped the advent of
thermodynamics with a set of physically meaningless equations back in the 1800s. This garbage has been around
ever since. The few real economists out there understand that the economy can be described with real thermodynamics
principles and is a physical process regardless of the human psychology aspect. Humans cannot wish matter and energy
into being like with magic, so at the end of the day energy conservation and entropy apply.

As for the clowns who were part of the Yeltsin regime, these are pure 5th column vermin. Both Gaidar and Livshits
deserved to be shot for high treason together with Yeltsin and most of his regime. You can see where such comprador
servants of NATzO have taken Ukraine. NATzO was expecting that Russia would end up a failed state like Banderastan
where NATzO corporations would rule, rape and pillage. Yeltsin's production sharing agreements (PSAs) were obscene.
They essentially surrendered Russian resources to western corporations for token license fees. As if Russia could not
extract and exploit them by itself. Putin, "the tyrant", stopped this racket and became the focus of hate from NATzO
propagandists.

They are not idiots... but they are trained and educated in the west most likely with western doctrine and mantra being held as gospel....

GarryB wrote:They are not idiots... but they are trained and educated in the west most likely with western doctrine and mantra being held as gospel....

Idiocy has many forms. Believing in some sort of BS is a type of idiocy even if the individual is not mentally challenged. For
me the word idiot is a statement of behaviour and not of innate mental capacity. Humans can have this sort of dichotomy,
which gives us so much of the world's problems.

Economics in the 19th century was referred to as "political economics", a more accurate and honest description since economics is as much normative as descriptive. Adam Smith wrote the Wealth of Nations for the benefit of British Imperialists and many of his "ideas" appear to be drawn without attribution from "The Fable of the Bees" by Mandeville published in 1723.

calripson wrote:Economics in the 19th century was referred to as "political economics", a more accurate and honest description since economics is as much normative as descriptive. Adam Smith wrote the Wealth of Nations for the benefit of British Imperialists and many of his "ideas" appear to be drawn without attribution from "The Fable of the Bees" by Mandeville published in 1723.

The same Ayn Rand nonsense that appears to have emerged from Protestant anti-Catholic reaction. In other words, brain dead contrarianism.

This drivel is what forms the essence of American social values. God loves the opportunist grifter, and hates the "slothful" idealist. So naturally
all those aboriginals who did not run rackets must have not been loved by God and deserved to be exterminated.

The hive analogy is one of the most dumb imaginings I have seen. Hives work precisely because all the drones are selfless. If
they all transformed into Ayn Rand ideals the hive would instantly collapse would never exist to start with if every bee was selfish.

Comparing human society to insect societies is absurd. Insects are like biological robots that can fall into a predictable and functional
pattern. Humans have tenuous family and community connections which they can sever on a whim and resist any sort of conformity
that would optimize the society (*). Funny how all the phonies who claim they worship the selfish individual live in the reality were
star chambers and mafia style business rule the day. Western "free market" capitalism is one of the biggest hoaxes of all time.
It has more GosPlan than the USSR ever did. The western capitalist back room GosPlan is enforced with mafia brutality. The
Soviet GosPlan was ignored.

(*) So undeveloped societies and economies are not automatically a bad thing if the people living under these conditions are happy.
Most of the Industrial Revolution period has been one of misery and world war.

Putin said that the plane with the PD-35 engine should be ready by 2027

The engine can be used on an extended version of the Il-96, the head of state noted.
Putin said that the plane with the PD-35 engine should be ready by 2027

The PD-35 aircraft should be ready by 2027, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

According to the head of state, the engine can be used on the extended version of the Il-96, but we need to help bring this work to the end.

   "The PD-35 with a thrust of 35 tons is a promising model, it should be ready by 2027, but we planned it for a wide-body aircraft. Even if by this time - this is the product of a long manufacturing cycle - it will not be ready, you still need to work on the engine. It will be possible to use it on an extended version of the Il-96, but we need to help engine builders to complete this work, " he said.

https://tvzvezda.ru/news/opk/content/20201230142-5MWgx.html

New reference to the twin engine Il-96...

"Returns the country to the top league of aviation": what is the significance of the flight of the MS-21 liner with domestic PD-14 engines

The first flight of the domestic passenger liner MS-21-310 with PD-14 engines took place in Irkutsk. The head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov called this event the result of a consistent state policy in the development of the high-tech sector. And the general director of the Rostec corporation, Sergei Chemezov, said that Russia is returning to the "major league of world aviation." Previously, the MS-21 was equipped with American PW1400G units. Experts believe that the emergence of highly efficient PD-14 units and a number of other domestic components will finally protect the Russian aircraft industry from any sanctions risks.

The first flight of the MS-21-310 passenger liner with the new Russian PD-14 engines took place at the airfield of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The plane was piloted by a crew consisting of test pilots Vasily Sevastyanov, Andrey Voropaev and engineer Alexander Soloviev.

The car was in the air for 1 hour 25 minutes. The flight task included checking the operating modes of the power plant, the stability and controllability of the airliner, as well as the functioning of its systems.

“At the end of November, during a visit to the plant of PJSC Irkut Corporation, my colleagues and I inspected the preparation of the new MS-21. Then we discussed the first flight of the MS-21-310 with the new PD-14 engine until the end of this year. And today we see it in action the result of a consistent state policy in the development of high-tech industries, "- said the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov.

The minister called the flight of the MC-21 with Russian power plants the result of the labor of tens of thousands of people. According to Manturov, "a new generation of designers and production workers" has formed in Russia.

In turn, the general director of the Rostec corporation, Sergei Chemezov, noted that the MS-21 with a Russian engine would allow Russia to return to the "major league of world aviation."

"This flight is the result of the unification of two most important programs of the civil aircraft industry in Russia: the MS-21 aircraft and the PD-14 engine. Through the efforts of scientists, designers, engineers, workers, a new generation airliner is being created, which returns our country to the top league of world aviation," Chemezov said ...

MS-21 ("Trunk aircraft of the XXI century") is a family of the newest Russian narrow-body airliners. The first flight of the prototype of this machine was made in May 2017 with PW1400G engines of the American company Pratt & Whitney.

In the near future, Aeroflot will become the main operator of the MC-21. Previously, the company signed a firm contract for the production of 50 vehicles and an option for 35 units. As Manturov said in September in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper, in total, "orders for 170 vehicles have been drawn up." According to the minister, the first deliveries of aircraft are scheduled for the end of 2021.

Superiority over analogues

As expected in the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), the MS-21 will become one of the best airliners in its class due to the integration of the most modern technological solutions in the field of aerodynamics, engine building, and airborne electronic systems.

"The MC-21 aircraft will differ from their counterparts in a reduced empty weight, ensured by the use of composite materials and advanced metal alloys in combination with the introduction of new-generation onboard systems, improved aerodynamics, and the use of a promising engine. These and other improvements will significantly reduce fuel consumption compared to with analogs, "- said in the materials of the UAC.

The emission characteristics of the MC-21 engines will meet the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Moreover, per one passenger seat, the Russian airliner will emit 15-25% less CO2 into the atmosphere than its counterparts currently in operation.

The MC-21 developers paid much attention to ensuring the comfort of passengers, including those with disabilities. Thus, the Russian airliner will surpass foreign counterparts in the width of the passage between the seats, which will allow two passengers to disperse freely and not block the movement of people on the plane when flight attendants use carts.

The designers have increased the natural illumination of the cabin thanks to the installation of large windows and a special interior design. In addition, the MC-21 boasts an improved microclimate and reduced noise level.

Today the liner is planned to be produced in two versions: MS-21-200 (130-176 seats) and MC-21-300 (160-211 seats). The maximum fuel volume for both vehicles is 20.4 tons, the flight range is 6.4 thousand km and 6 thousand km, respectively.

In the future, the third, the largest modification of the domestic liner under the designation MS-21-400, may enter the market. It will be equipped with the PD-16 engine, which is a more powerful version of the PD-14.

Recently, the domestic industry has been actively working to eliminate dependence on imported elements that are used in the production of the MS-21 family. In particular, in the special economic zone "Alabuga" (Tatarstan), the production of threads, fibers and prepregs has been launched, which are used for the manufacture of a composite wing of a passenger liner.

"Russian composites, which replaced foreign ones, have confirmed their characteristics during the tests, and the Irkut corporation has already started production of serial parts and units based on them," the website says.Rostec ".

Also, the Ufa association of the Tekhnodinamika holding has manufactured a prototype of an emergency synchronous generator for the MS-21 power supply system. This unit is designed to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy using a special screw that makes up to 14 thousand revolutions per minute. The maximum machine power reaches 23 kVA (kilovolt-ampere).

In an interview with RT, the executive director of the Aviaport agency, Oleg Panteleev, suggested that the issue of import substitution of components for the MS-21 would be finally closed in the mid-2020s with the completion of the corresponding development work.

“This will make it possible to assert that, firstly, the MS-21 program has no sanctions risks. Secondly, the Russian industry is able to produce liners without hindrance. As a result, carriers will be able to renew their fleet using the most modern, comfortable, fuel-efficient aircraft. The events are very positive and very promising, "Panteleev explained.

The expert called the successful fitting of PD-14 engines on MS-21 an important achievement. According to him, during the flight tests that have begun, the domestic unit must confirm its characteristics as part of the aircraft's power plant.

PD-14 is the first turbofan aircraft engine created in Russia since the collapse of the USSR. In 2018, the unit received a certificate from the Federal Air Transport Agency confirming the readiness of the product for serial production and operation. Installations are made at the enterprise JSC "UEC - Perm Motors".

The advantages of PD-14 include economical fuel consumption, high environmental performance, relatively low operating costs. According to the estimates of Rostec specialists, the cost of the engine's life cycle will be 15-20% less in comparison with modern analogues.

The key to the success of PD-14, according to the state corporation, is the use of unique technologies and materials. For example, in the design of the unit, domestic titanium and nickel alloys are used, as well as polymer composites, which lighten the engine weight and reduce the noise level.

"PD-14 was developed on the basis of time-tested design solutions with the use of modern technologies. At the same time, the condition was set to use only domestic materials. The designers developed and implemented 16 key technologies, for example, turbine blades made of the lightest titanium intermetallic compound or an advanced cooling system that allows the turbine to operate. at temperatures up to 2000 K (1726.85 ° C. - RT) ", - noted in Rostec.

"Breakthrough project"

Oleg Panteleev believes that the appearance of the PD-14 will protect the domestic passenger liner from the methods of unfair competition on the part of Western states. At the same time, as the expert argues, Russia will not completely abandon the American unit - the MS-21 will be offered to the customers of the machine with both PW1400G and PD-14 engines.

“We know that there are already contracts for aircraft with both types of engine. There is still competition between manufacturers of power units, and each of them will have to prove to the operators that their product is better. At the same time, the Russian side makes it clear that in terms of operating costs, including the cost of aviation fuel and maintenance, PD-14 looks preferable, "says Panteleev.

In a commentary on RT, Honored Pilot of the Russian Federation, Major General Vladimir Popov, said that, in terms of the totality of its characteristics, the Russian engine during operation should prove its advantage over the brainchild of Pratt & Whitney. The expert called the first flight of MS-21 with PD-14 a great success of the Russian industry on the way to full-fledged import substitution.

"Almost all parts and parts of the MS-21 structure should be manufactured only at Russian enterprises and only with the help of Russian technologies. PD-14 is a key element in the liner on this path. Now it is important to establish mass production of this highly intelligent product. This process will pull up and other industries and will generally have a positive effect on the development of science and industry in Russia, "- explained Popov.

The expert is convinced that the supply of MS-21 with PD-14 will allow a significant number of Boeing and Airbus aircraft to be squeezed out of the fleet of domestic air carriers. In addition, according to Popov, the family of Russian airliners is likely to enjoy commercial success abroad.

"We are restoring our line of civil aviation. In this field, the MS-21 is one of the breakthrough projects carried out according to our technological maps. The plane, I think, will fire at the present time and will be a promising project that is in demand not only in Russia, but also in other regions - the CIS, China, India, Vietnam, Latin America and African states, "Popov predicts.

https://www.aviaport.ru/digest/2020/12/16/661835.html

Tests of a demonstrator of a promising gas generator for Rostec engines are scheduled for March 2021

Rybinsk. November 30th. AviaPort - Tests of a demonstrator of a promising gas generator for a family of new engines are scheduled for March 2021, said Roman Khramin, general designer of UEC-Saturn, United Engine Corporation Rostec, when answering a question from AviaPort.

“We are going to assemble the gas generator in March and conduct the first tests at the stand,” he said.

The general designer of the enterprise specified that "within the framework of cooperation, UEC-Saturn will develop a high-pressure compressor, while UEC-Aviadvigatel is responsible for the combustion chamber and high-pressure turbine. In terms of cycle parameters - temperature and compression ratio - ours the gas generator corresponds to the world level for regional aircraft engines ",- noted Roman Khramin.

As previously reported, the promising base engine is scheduled to be certified in 2023. On the basis of the unified gas generator, it is possible to create a line of engines for passenger, transport and special aircraft, as well as a helicopter engine for super-heavy helicopters of the Mi-26 dimension.

https://www.aviaport.ru/news/2020/11/30/660107.html

There has been some news in the last 5 years about cracks in areas of the SSJ-100 fuselage. This obviously isn't good. But maybe there's some context missing.

I seen this on Twitter today

This 4.3 years old Airbus A350-900 @qatarairways (A7-ALL) was supposed to be painted in World Cup 2022 livery at IAC Shannon, but after being stripped of paint, cracks in the fuselage were found. A7-ALL will be ferried to TLS for Airbus to inspect the issue and to be painted there.  

I was just surprised to read about cracks in the mighty A350. A 4.3 year old one.  But I don't actually know if its comparable to the SSJ cracks. Im not an aircraft engineer. Still. That's what the headline says  



Apparently Boeing also had some cracking issues on the 737 NG's. The NG's were the previous version to the Max

Without a proper evaluation of the cracks the information is rather useless. There will always be fine cracks forming and no
frame lasts beyond a set number of years. The question is what sort of cracks. If it is a structural failure process, then
it is serious. The de Havilland Comet comes to mind. But no modern design has such serious issues.

Superjet 100-results for 2020

At the end of December 2019 in the interview UAC President Yuri Slyusar announced the release of at least 20 SSJ100 aircraft in 2020 to the Rossiya-24 TV channel. As a result, 11 Superjets took to the skies in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, and 12 aircraft of this type were delivered in a year.

In 2019 on SSJ100 had to more than 51% of the total passenger turnover performed in Russia on all civil regional jet and turboprop aircraft. In the context of a General drop in passenger traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the operation of the aircraft received an additional incentive-the Superjet entered dozens of new routes between the country's cities, including bypassing the Moscow air hub.

But about everything in order.

Current fleet of carriers

In 2020, the number of new Superjets built accounted for 61% of the aircraft produced a year earlier: 11 against 18. And if in 2019 only two new Superjets were put into operation, then in 2020 - 12 cars. The aircraft were received by Azimut, Aeroflot and Red Wings airlines. The transfer of aircraft to Rossiya airlines has begun.

Here are the dates of the first flights of the new SSJ100 for 2020:

95198 RA-89134 21.02.2020 " Russia"
95199 RA-89139 04.03.2020 " azimuth"
95200 RA-89140 21.05.2020 Red Wings
95201 RA-89141 04.06.2020 Red Wings
95202 RA-89142 17.06.2020 " Russia"
95203 RA-89143 02.07.2020 Red Wings
95204 RA-89144 21.07.2020 Red Wings
95205 RA-89145 10.09.2020 " Russia"
95206 RA-89146 06.10.2020 " Russia"
95207 RA-89147 27.10.2020 " Russia"
95208 RA-89148 08.12.2020 " Russia"

Delivery of aircraft to customers in 2020:

95186 RA-89124 14.01.2020 " Aeroflot"
95189 RA-89126 16.01.2020 " Aeroflot"
95190 RA-89127 16.01.2020 " Aeroflot"
95185 RA-89123 16.01.2020 " Aeroflot"
95188 RA-89125 21.01.2020 " Aeroflot"
95177 RA-89122 11.09.2020 Red Wings
95187 RA-89138 08.10.2020 Red Wings
95183 RA-89137 13.10.2020 Red Wings
95179 RA-89149 05.11.2020 " azimuth"
95199 RA-89139 15.12.2020 " azimuth"
95192 RA-89129 28.12.2020 " Russia"
95193 RA-89130 28.12.2020 " Russia"
95194 RA-89131 28.12.2020 " Russia"
95200 RA-89140 29.12.2020 Red Wings

A source

Deliveries of the aircraft was carried out through the leasing company JSC "gtlk" and OOO "PSB AVIAPOLIS". Red Wings began flying Superjets in September, and Rossiya, having received the aircraft in December, started flying this new type of aircraft on January 1, 2021, with flights to Nizhny Novgorod and Belgorod from Sheremetyevo.

Thus, as of December 31, 2020, the fleet of Superjet 100 aircraft in airlines was as follows::

Aeroflot-54
Russia - 3
Red Wings - 4+1 received from RusJet in VIP layout
Yamal-15
Azimuth-13
Gazpromavia-10
Iraero-9 (1 in storage)
Yakutia - 5 (2 in storage)
Severstal-4
Interjet - 22, of which: 15 in storage, 1 in disrepair, 6 boards flew:
XA-GCD-until November 27
XA-VAS - until December 7
XA-PPY - until October 12
XA-VER - until December 10
XA-VER - until December 10
XA-MRM-until October 13
Thai air force - 3
SLO Russia and EMERCOM of Russia - 2 boards each
The Ministry of internal Affairs of Russia, ComLux Kazakhstan and the border Service of Kazakhstan - 1 aircraft each.

Mexican airline Interjet is still the only commercial operator of Russian aircraft. However, the crisis faced by civil aviation in 2020 does not leave this carrier with any hope of survival in 2021.

As the site reported on December 14, 2020 Go to Mexico! The international civil aviation Association (IATA) has suspended Interjet's access to the mutual settlement system (BSP), which means that The airline cannot sell tickets for international flights and work with agents. Disconnecting from the BSP is often a mandatory step before the carrier goes bankrupt.

In the summer, it became known that Superjets are Interjet's only hope to stay afloat in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company believed that Russian regional aircraft were ideally suited to serve the small number of remaining flights in the schedule due to low demand in the context of antiviral restrictions. But even the SSJ100 could not save the carrier from insolvency.

Thus, Interjet is expected to go bankrupt in 2021, and commercial operation of the SSJ100 will remain only in the Russian sky.

At the same time, the Ministry of industry and trade is counting on the appearance of other SSJ100 operators and deliberately does not force export deliveries until all issues with service and after-sales service of these aircraft are resolved. "We have learned from the mistakes that were made at the initial stage of this project, when the service base was not sufficiently formed, and only today it is finishing being formed. We definitely won't be in a hurry, " Denis Manturov, the head of the Ministry of industry and trade, explained the reason for the almost lack of sales of the Superjet In an interview. TASS at the beginning of August.

Azimut airline stands apart in Russian civil aviation - it is the only commercial carrier whose fleet consists only of Superjet 100 aircraft. the company's Management can not fail to inspire respect - according to the Federal air transport Agency, in the context of the global crisis of passenger air transportation for the period January-November 2020, the company showed the smallest drop in passenger traffic - 3.3% (96.7% by 2020), and In August, the airline managed to exceed the number of passengers carried in 2019 by 3.4%, serving 130.4 thousand passengers, while the industry as a whole missed 35% of pre-crisis passenger traffic.

Azimut provides an average monthly flight time for each aircraft at the level of 250 hours (8.3 hours per day), which is a record for this type of aircraft. On average, each Superjet of the airline transports about 140 thousand passengers a year. In early June, the co-owner of the carrier Vitaly Vantsev said that in winter the flight time for one SSJ100 is 235 hours per month, in summer it grows to 260. Such indicators are comparable to the best foreign competitors of the SSJ100. For example, American Airlines ' Embraer-190s, which are similar in passenger capacity, have a daily flight time of 3.6 to 13.7 hours, and the Bombardier CRJ900 from 7.1 to 11.9 hours. Red Wings airlines shows an average flight time in October-November of 6 hours a day on a Superjet 100 (there are 4 aircraft in the fleet).

Azimut plans to transport 2 million passengers in 2021. To achieve these goals, it is planned to increase the fleet of aircraft to 18 units (two A220s are expected to be delivered), as well as continue active work on opening new interregional routes and expanding the geography of international flights.

After-sales and after-sales service

The Achilles heel of the Superjet was service and after-sales support of the aircraft from the manufacturer-a branch of Irkut Corporation-Regional aircraft. Recently, this issue has received systematic attention.

In 2020, it was put into operation entered shop structural repairs of the components of the SSJ100. The volume of component maintenance increased 2.5 times compared to 2019, and the list of serviced units was increased by more than 40 items. Enhanced repair capabilities can reduce airline operating costs by eliminating the need to purchase new components prematurely.

The company's specialists performed 30 complex forms of periodic maintenance on aircraft operated by Aeroflot, Yamal, Severstal, ROSSIYA branch, and the emergency management Department of the Ministry of emergency situations. The Regional aircraft training center has trained 34 flight crews and 22 Superjet operating engineers.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for air transportation has sharply decreased, which has led to a drop in demand for new aircraft. Under these conditions, the Ministry of industry and trade was forced to review the volume of production of military and civil aircraft for the period 2021-2023. In the new version government programs according to the report prepared by the Ministry for the development of the aviation industry, "due to the continuing problems of after-sales service of the SSJ100 aircraft (in particular, with the SaM146 engine), the volume of aircraft deliveries was reduced."

As part of the UAC's RUB 250 billion financial recovery program, the Corporation will be able to get rid of its debts, create an after-sales service system and create a pool of spare parts for the SSJ100 and MS-21, as well as complete testing of the MS-21 and carry out import substitution of components for the SSJ100. In the future, the after-sales service system will become common for all new Russian-made civil aircraft.

Import substitution and SSJ-New

SSJ-New, in fact, will be a new aircraft, import substitution is subject to dozens of systems and components. They will be replaced with domestic air conditioning, braking, power supply, water supply and waste disposal systems, as well as the crew's oxygen system, air leakage sensors, an icing and air temperature indicator, landing gear, passenger seats, and heat and sound insulation. Also, the foreign SaM146 powerplant will be replaced with the Russian PD-8 engine, the fuselage design will change - its center of gravity will be adjusted.

In 2020, work continued on import substitution of foreign components of the aircraft, flight and ground tests of Russian systems and assemblies were conducted as part of the SSJ-New program.

In February, tests of a new air cooling unit manufactured by JSC PKO "heat Exchanger" began. The unit is part of the air conditioning system and is its main unit. The system is responsible for three critical processes: providing fresh air for people to breathe and maintain a normal level of in-flight pressure (boost), ventilation of aircraft compartments, and temperature control in the crew cabin and in the cabin. Uov cools the hot air coming from the aircraft's engines or auxiliary power plant to create comfortable conditions at any, including extreme outdoor temperatures.

Ufa aggregate production enterprise (uapo) is developing a power supply system consisting of subsystems for generating and distributing energy. Ufa NPP Molniya - engine vibration monitoring systems, a computer for the integrated air conditioning system and an icing detector for the Superjet de-icing system. Both companies are part of the technodynamics.

Technodinamika's enterprises are also developing new chassis, water supply and waste management systems for the SSJ-New. The first delivery of the prototype chassis is expected before 2023.

Irkut Corporation for the period from March 26 to April 3, 2020 posted on the public procurement website 23 two tender applications for the manufacture and supply of systems for the SSJ-New aircraft under the import substitution program.

In particular, Irkut announced a tender for the following subsystems of the new Superjet::

Development, manufacturing, testing and delivery of power supply system prototypes.
Design, manufacture, test and supply of chassis system prototypes.
Development, manufacturing, testing and delivery of prototype sets of business class passenger seats.
Design, manufacture, testing and delivery of prototypes of the ventilated air temperature sensors in the compartments.
Development, manufacturing, testing and delivery of prototypes of the PIC wing telescopic pipeline.
Development, manufacturing, testing and delivery of prototypes of economy class passenger seats.
Development, manufacturing, testing and delivery of an on-Board information system.
Development, manufacturing, testing and delivery of a flight information recording system.
Design, manufacture, test and supply of emergency ladder prototypes.

In total, more than 3 billion 915 million rubles are allocated for the development and supply of systems for 23 tenders. The largest amount of funds is planned to be spent on the development and supply of power supply systems and chassis, 828 million 854 thousand rubles and 1 billion 158 million 956 thousand rubles are allocated for these works, respectively.

The Voronezh engine engineering Development Bureau has started developing an integral part of the integrated control system-gearboxes and transmission shafts of the wing mechanization control system, flaps and slats drive for SSJ-New aircraft. The corresponding contract for the implementation of development work was signed on may 20, 2020 between OKBM LLC and Electroprivod JSC, which is part of the Technodinamika holding.

The contract includes the implementation of all stages of R & d – development of technical and operational projects, production of prototypes, preparation for testing and their implementation, as well as certification support. The works will be completed in the period from 2020 to 2023.

In July, flight tests of the binc-2015 inertial navigation system began in Zhukovsky on a prototype SSJ100 aircraft. The system was developed at the Moscow Institute of electromechanics and automation (part of JSC KRET). The navigation system is designed to accurately determine the location of the aircraft and its movement parameters. The main feature of inertial systems is complete autonomy-independence from ground-based and space-based signal sources.

Development work on the SSJ-New is scheduled to be completed in 2023. Then the airliner will have to pass certification of both individual systems and the entire aircraft as a whole. Work in this direction is already underway. On December 2, as part of the certification program, the Federal air transport Agency accepted the application of Irkut Corporation for Approval of the main change in the standard design of the SSJ100 aircraft, which consists in introducing a new model of the aircraft – RRJ-95NEW-100 (SSJ-NEW) as part of import substitution of components.

PD-8 TURBOFAN ENGINE

The economic losses incurred by Russia on the SSJ100 aircraft due to the high cost of the SaM146 engine and the reluctance of the French Snecma to reduce the cost of units and components put UAC in front of the need to create the PD-8 engine, which will improve the economy of the Superjet And make it competitive.

The PD-8 gas turbine engine is being developed on the basis of PD-14, and its technical design is protected in 2020. Finally, the PD-8 should be ready in 2022, and certification is scheduled for 2023.

The all-Russian research Institute of aviation materials (VIAM) has developed a new casting heat-resistant Nickel alloy VZHM200, which will be used for casting working blades with a directional structure of a low-pressure turbine of the PD-8 engine. VIAM has carried out General qualification of the vzhm200 alloy and organized its mass production.

JSC Electroprivod of Technodinamika holding develops a system for Autonomous power supply and switching of aggregates, designed to provide power to electronic components and parts of the engine's electrical actuators. In their work, the designers implement technical solutions of the SEPC-14-1 system used as part of the PD-14 engine.

The first tests of the PD-8 gas generator demonstrator are scheduled for March 2021.

Plans for 2021

During 2021, Red Wings expects to increase its Superjet 100 fleet to 16 aircraft. As of January 1, 2021, the airline operated four ssj100s. In 2020, Red Wings planned to receive seven Superjets, but for a number of reasons, deliveries of three aircraft were postponed to the first quarter of 2021.

In 2021, Aeroflot will transfer 44 Superjets to Rossiya airlines. At the same time, in the airline itself reported it in 2021, Rossiya plans to increase its SSJ100 fleet to 66 aircraft.

By the end of 2021, Red Wings intends to increase the total number of SSJ100 aircraft in its fleet to 15-16 aircraft, while the airline plans to increase the fleet to 32 SSJ100 aircraft.

In 2021, UAC planned to produce at least 30 SSJ100 aircraft. About this at the end of December 2019 said the President of UAC, Yuri Slusar. However, the current version of the state program for the development of the aviation industry States that in 2021, the Russian aviation industry have to put 22 civilian aircraft. Given that this includes six production MS-21 Airliners, deliveries of which to the first operators should begin at the end of the year, as well as the accumulated stock of SSJ100 aircraft for transfer to Russian customers and the lack of orders from abroad, we can expect SSJ100 production in 2021 at the level of 13-15 machines.

Andrey Velichko,
for the Russian aviation website"

https://aviation21.ru/superjet-100-itogi-2020-goda/

The economic losses incurred by Russia on the SSJ100 aircraft due to the high cost of the SaM146 engine and the reluctance of the French Snecma to reduce the cost of units and components put UAC in front of the need to create the PD-8 engine, which will improve the economy of the Superjet And make it competitive.

A French company overcharging... do they not understand the concept of repeat business... essentially they are forcing the Russians to make their own competitor engine range to their engines which Russia will of course then sell to the world for a lower price... you would think they would be smart enough to work with the Russians to lower costs to make their engines and retain a customer... but instead they create a competitor for themselves.

They did offer to Russia the option of making the expensive and high tech titanium hot parts which they currently get from the US, not just in the engines Russia buys but all their engines, but clearly Russia no longer really trusts France over the Mistral et al...

I am pretty sure the Russians could have made those parts and reduced the costs of French engine exports and domestically for both countries, so it was a rather interesting offer, but ultimately they will make even more money making their own engines instead.

Western politicians are realy stupid. Russia was willing to give western companies 30 or even 50% of the revenues by using lots of western parts in products made in the country but they wanted 100% (no russian products sold to customers around the world, only western ones) and now they get 0% because Russia will replace all their stuff. Great job!

GarryB wrote:
I am pretty sure the Russians could have made those parts and reduced the costs of French engine exports and domestically for both countries, so it was a rather interesting offer, but ultimately they will make even more money making their own engines instead.

I bet the offer got a very serious investigation but strategically it made no sense at all for Russia to improve the long term prospects of a competitor, even though it would have reduced the build cost of the SJ-100 until the SJ-100New.

With reasonable justification the French and others regard Russia as a bit part player in the civil aircraft manufacturing market. That will not change for a few years and may never change unless Russia seriously upgrades its support infrastructure (costing a large amount of investment) and takes market share, particularly in China.

With Biden taking over this month, the US's animosity to China is likely to reduce, changing the dynamics there.

JohninMK wrote:

GarryB wrote:
I am pretty sure the Russians could have made those parts and reduced the costs of French engine exports and domestically for both countries, so it was a rather interesting offer, but ultimately they will make even more money making their own engines instead.

I bet the offer got a very serious investigation but strategically it made no sense at all for Russia to improve the long term prospects of a competitor, even though it would have reduced the build cost of the SJ-100 until the SJ-100New.

With reasonable justification the French and others regard Russia as a bit part player in the civil aircraft manufacturing market. That will not change for a few years and may never change unless Russia seriously upgrades its support infrastructure (costing a large amount of investment) and takes market share, particularly in China.

With Biden taking over this month, the US's animosity to China is likely to reduce, changing the dynamics there.

Its easiest just to give up your aviation industry. Like we did in Canada. There has been a hole in our national pride ever since. The UK basically gave up too.

unless Russia seriously upgrades its support infrastructure (costing a large amount of investment)

Yes. They are learning. Hopefully. Russia is a big country so they will be learning about logistics and support even with just the Russian carriers. This is why they built the SSJ in the first place. Because they didn't want to make these mistakes with the MC-21.

With Biden taking over this month, the US's animosity to China is likely to reduce

Both parties were jostling for who could be more hawkish on China. Biden might have a 100 day honeymoon but that's all it will amount to.

GarryB wrote:

The economic losses incurred by Russia on the SSJ100 aircraft due to the high cost of the SaM146 engine and the reluctance of the French Snecma to reduce the cost of units and components put UAC in front of the need to create the PD-8 engine, which will improve the economy of the Superjet And make it competitive.

A French company overcharging... do they not understand the concept of repeat business...
I am pretty sure the Russians could have made those parts and reduced the costs of French engine exports and domestically for both countries, so it was a rather interesting offer, but ultimately they will make even more money making their own engines instead.

The SSJ was a product of the 2000-2007 diplomatic era. It was a different world.

I bet the offer got a very serious investigation but strategically it made no sense at all for Russia to improve the long term prospects of a competitor, even though it would have reduced the build cost of the SJ-100 until the SJ-100New.

Of course and there are many factors... making ti bits for French engines means an existing market with ready customers, but then that just leaves all those customers open to US sanctions on Russian parts and of course possible French sanctions on Russian parts.

I would think they wouldn't sanction the russian made engine parts in French planes but they will sanction Russian planes...

For Russia there is the freedom to make their own stuff and sell to anyone they please... the French and Americans and possibly Germans and British are still going to impose sanctions or whatever, but the countries effected probably wont buy Russian planes anyway... no matter how cheap or modern they make them.

With reasonable justification the French and others regard Russia as a bit part player in the civil aircraft manufacturing market.

They are re-entering a market they left for quite some time... if they are dumb enough to want to fight them then they get what they deserve... instead of a potential partner.... they get another rival... and a rival with technology and now engines and systems every bit as good as theirs.

That will not change for a few years and may never change unless Russia seriously upgrades its support infrastructure (costing a large amount of investment) and takes market share, particularly in China.

Well Duh... do you think an absence of Russian civilian airliners in service around the world possibly creates a situation where support infrastructure is something they could not afford? Once they have a range of products ready to sell they can invest in world wide support structures to support all their planes... which will generate its own income itself, but there have to be aircraft in service to support for there to be income.

With Biden taking over this month, the US's animosity to China is likely to reduce, changing the dynamics there.

And if the republicans are smart (they generally are not) they would start calling Biden Xis puppet and a spy for China the way the democrats sabotaged the supposed good relations America was going to have with Russia when Trump got in to office.

Its easiest just to give up your aviation industry. Like we did in Canada. There has been a hole in our national pride ever since. The UK basically gave up too.

Integration into the world order means you give up diversity and innovation....

The SSJ was a product of the 2000-2007 diplomatic era. It was a different world.

The post cold war period has been full of what could have been moments...