Maiden flights of the import-substituted Yakovlev MC-21 and SJ-100 are planned for the first half of this year, Russian trade minister Anton Alikhanov has stated.
Alikhanov spoke during a meeting of the presidium of the Russian parliamentary council of legislators.
“We understand that air carriers are waiting for all these aircraft,” he says. “The industry is doing everything necessary to start delivering them as soon as possible.”
Both the MC-21 and SJ-100 will be powered by Aviadvigatel engines, the PD-14 and PD-8 respectively.
While the MC-21 has flown with PD-14s, the aircraft is undergoing extensive replacement of foreign-supplied systems with domestically-sourced equivalents.
This work will bring the twinjet up to the configuration intended for delivery to customers.
The SJ-100 has undergone test flights but only with the PowerJet SaM146 engine, and is yet to fly with the PD-8.
Alikhanov told the meeting that the first flights of both fully-modified models are intended to take place in the first half of 2025.
Russia’s government is planning a further modernisation of the SJ-100 to improve flight performance and introduce extra features.
In a formal procurement notice it says it will allocate Rb27.6 billion ($309 million) to the programme over 2025-27, around Rb9 billion for each of the three years.
Under the scheme the SJ-100 prototypes will be “refined” with additional fuel systems, expansion of its operating conditions and transport capability, and supplied with a modular interior and built-in airstairs.
