Photo: uacrussia.ru
< p>In June 2001, the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company announced a program to develop the first completely new Russian aircraft in the post-Soviet space – the RRJ regional jet.
A month later, the aerospace company signed agreements with Ilyushin and the Boeing Corporation. At the same time, Roskosmos offered to help develop the product, and it was accepted. So everyone got to work.
< em>Photo: uacrussia.ru
Company “Dry” saw a need for a regional aircraft with a range between 3,000 and 4,500 km, and in 2003 the Russian government announced that domestic operators would need 200 of these aircraft.
Ultimately, the company will develop an aircraft that can accommodate from 87 up to 108 passengers and having a target range for short and medium haul flights. In 2007, the first Sukhoi Superjet 100 was produced at the Far East Aviation Plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
Photo: uacrussia.ru
Powered by two SaM146 turbofan engines mounted under the wings, with a maximum fuel consumption of 1,820 kg per hour, the Sukhoi Superjet 100 could reach a speed of 870 km per hour. Each SaM146 engine was equipped with Snecma full authority digital electronic control (FADEC).
Photo: uacrussia.ru
Most of the avionics complex, including displays, as well as communications, navigation and surveillance systems, were manufactured by Thales under a contract with Sukhoi. She was involved in the creation of the cockpit, designed similarly to the cockpit of Airbus. CMC Electronics supplied the CMA-9000 Flight Management System (FMS), while Toulouse-based Liebherr-Aerospace and Russia's Voskhod design center created the Superjet flight control system. From below, the aircraft is fitted with a Messier-Dowty landing gear and Goodrich wheels. But the Russian specialists designed the braking system on their own.
Photo: uacrussia.ru
The first finished copy of the SSJ took to the skies on May 19, 2008, as part of the program, two more samples were created, which flew in December 2008 and July 2009. After completion of preliminary tests and initial certification in Russia in September 2009, a small fleet of three vehicles conducted a series of high-altitude tests. This type will receive official local certification later in 2011, and a year later in Europe from EASA.
Photo: uacrussia.ru
In total, since the start of production in 2007, about 230 Superjets have been produced, which were mainly used by Russian operators: Aeroflot, Rossiya, Azimuth, Red Wings and others.
In addition to the standard 100-passenger model, two other options were considered at the initial design stage: a 60-seat and a 75-seat version. However, in the end, the option with the smallest capacity was discarded in order to focus on the other two.
Photo: uacrussia.ru
Sukhoi also developed the long-haul RRJ-95LR100 and the more powerful Superjet RRJ-95B100, based on the original. Two elongated models were also considered. This is a 130-seat 130NG Superjet, which was planned to use more modern materials to reduce weight and be equipped with Pratt & Whitney. “Dry” also mentioned an expanded version with 120 seats, although for various reasons it did not go beyond words.
Photo: uacrussia.ru
The aircraft was previously produced by the Russian United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). However, due to sanctions and an asset freeze in connection with the events in Ukraine, it became difficult to attract clients, despite the price advantages over foreign peers.
As a result, UAC sold its stake in Markab Capital, an investment firm based in the UAE. The new owner plans to maintain the Superjet 100 program in the UAE and Indian markets.