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The Sukhoi Superjet 100 () or SSJ100 is a
regional jet A regional jet (RJ) is a jet-powered regional airliner with fewer than 100 seats. The first one was the Sud-Aviation Caravelle in 1959, followed by the widespread Yakovlev Yak-40, Fokker F-28, and BAe 146. The 1990s saw the emergence of ...
designed by Russian aircraft company
Sukhoi The JSC Sukhoi Company (russian: ПАО «Компания „Сухой“», ) is a Russian aircraft manufacturer (formerly Soviet), headquartered in Begovoy District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow, that designs both civilian and mili ...
Civil Aircraft, a division of the
United Aircraft Corporation , former_name = OJSC United Aircraft Corporation (2006–2015) , type = Public, PJSC , traded_as = , industry = Aerospace, defense , predecessor = Ilyushin, Irkut, Mikoyan, Sukhoi, Tupolev, Yakovlev , founded = , founder = Vladimir P ...
(now: Regional Aircraft – Branch of the Irkut Corporation). With development starting in 2000, it made its
maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is alw ...
on 19 May 2008 and its first commercial flight on 21 April 2011 with
Armavia Armavia ( hy, Արմավիա) was an airline that existed between 1996 and 2013. It was Armenia's flag carrier, with its head office on the grounds of Zvartnots International Airport in Zvartnots, Armenia, near Yerevan. It operated international ...
. The
MTOW The maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) or maximum gross takeoff weight (MGTOW) or maximum takeoff mass (MTOM) of an aircraft is the maximum weight at which the pilot is allowed to attempt to take off, due to structural or other limits. The analogous ...
plane typically seats 87 to 98 passengers and is powered by two
PowerJet SaM146 The PowerJet SaM146 is a turbofan engine produced by the PowerJet joint venture between Snecma (Safran) of France and NPO Saturn of Russia. Developing of thrust, the SaM146 is used on the Sukhoi Superjet 100. Snecma is in charge of the core en ...
turbofans developed by a joint venture between French
Safran Safran S.A. is a French multinational company that designs, develops and manufactures aircraft engines, rocket engines as well as various aerospace and defense-related equipment or their components. It was formed by a merger between SNECMA a ...
and Russian
NPO Saturn UEC NPO Saturn, PJSC (russian: ОДК-Сатурн НПО) is a Russian aircraft engine manufacturer, formed from the mergers of Rybinsk Motors and Lyul'ka-Saturn (after Arkhip Mikhailovich Lyulka) in 2001. Saturn's engines power many former Ea ...
. By May 2018, 127 were in service and by September the fleet had logged 300,000 revenue flights and 460,000 hours. By November 2021 fleet had logged at least 2,000,000 hours. The plane has recorded three
hull loss A hull loss is an aviation accident that catastrophically damages the aircraft beyond economical repair, resulting in a total loss. The term also applies to situations in which the aircraft is missing, the search for their wreckage is terminated ...
accidents and 86 deaths . In 2022, Sukhoi plans a Russified version of the body and electronic, without most of the Western components, the engine will also be replaced, using Aviadvigatel PD-8. Aeroflot has ordered 89 Irkut SSJ-Russified aircraft.


Development


Background

JSC Sukhoi was incorporated in May 2000 to develop the first all-new commercial aircraft in post-Soviet Russia. Studies of the Russian Regional Jet (RRJ) began in 2001. After analysing the Russian market, Sukhoi identified a need for an aircraft with a range of between , greater than typical regional jets. Three variants were initially envisaged: the RRJ60, RRJ75 and RRJ95, with 60, 78 and 98 seats respectively; a five-abreast layout was chosen as being optimal for this size range. Sukhoi estimated the targeted market to be around 800 aircraft, including 250–300 from Russia and the
Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010 ...
. On 15 October 2001, the
Russian government The Government of Russia exercises executive power in the Russian Federation. The members of the government are the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers, and the federal ministers. It has its legal basis in the Constitution of the Russ ...
allocated $46.6 million to the development of a new 70–80 seat regional jet, targeting first flight in 2006 and entry into service in 2007. Sukhoi's RRJ was competing against
Myasishchev V. M. Myasishchev Experimental Design Bureau (Экспери­мен­тальный Машин­ост­роительный Завод им. В. М. Мясищева) or OKB-23, founded in 1951 by MGB UdSSR Vladimir Myasishchev, was ...
's M-60-70 and
Tupolev Tupolev (russian: Ту́полев, ), officially Joint Stock Company Tupolev, is a Russian aerospace and defence company headquartered in Basmanny District, Moscow. Tupolev is successor to the Soviet Tupolev Design Bureau ( OKB-156, design off ...
's Tu-414 projects. Boeing provided advice to Sukhoi and its partners on programme management, engineering, marketing, product development, certification, supplier management and customer support. The Sukhoi RRJ was selected by Rosaviakosmos, the government's aviation and space agency, in March 2003. The RRJ programme allocated $63.5 million to the development of a engine between 2003 and 2015. Four engines were initially envisaged: the Pratt & Whitney PW800, the Rolls-Royce BR710, the
General Electric CF34 The General Electric CF34 is a civilian high-bypass turbofan developed by GE Aircraft Engines from its TF34 military engine. The CF34 is used on a number of business and regional jets, including the Bombardier CRJ series, the Embraer E ...
-8, and the
Snecma Safran Aircraft Engines, previously Snecma (''Société nationale d'études et de construction de moteurs d'aviation'') or Snecma Moteurs, is a French aerospace engine manufacturer headquartered in Courcouronnes and a subsidiary of Safran. It ...
/
NPO Saturn UEC NPO Saturn, PJSC (russian: ОДК-Сатурн НПО) is a Russian aircraft engine manufacturer, formed from the mergers of Rybinsk Motors and Lyul'ka-Saturn (after Arkhip Mikhailovich Lyulka) in 2001. Saturn's engines power many former Ea ...
SaM146. The BR710 and the CF34-8 were eliminated by July 2002, and the PW800 was subsequently rejected due to a perceived technical risk associated with its geared fan. A formal memorandum of understanding was signed with Snecma on 29 April 2003, confirming the selection of the SaM146, to be developed in a joint venture with NPO Saturn, based on the Snecma SPW14 and combining a Snecma DEM21 gas generator with an Aviadvigatel "cold section". Key suppliers were selected in October 2003, including
Thales Thales of Miletus ( ; grc-gre, Θαλῆς; ) was a Greek mathematician, astronomer, statesman, and pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. He was one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regarded ...
for
avionics Avionics (a blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the hundreds of systems that are fit ...
, Messier-Bugatti-Dowty for
landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Mart ...
,
Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...
for the
auxiliary power unit An auxiliary power unit (APU) is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft and naval ships as well as some large land vehicles. Aircraft APUs generally produce 115& ...
, Liebherr for flight controls,
Intertechnique Zodiac Aerospace was a French aerospace group founded in 1896 that supplied systems and equipment for aircraft. It had around 100 sites across the globe and employed nearly 35,000 people. In October 2018, it was acquired by French aerospace an ...
for fuel systems, Parker Hannifin for hydraulic systems, B/E Aerospace for
interiors ''Interiors'' is a 1978 American drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. It stars Kristin Griffith, Mary Beth Hurt, Richard Jordan, Diane Keaton, E. G. Marshall, Geraldine Page, Maureen Stapleton, and Sam Waterston. Allen's first ful ...
. At this time, Sukhoi anticipated a market for 600 aircraft by 2020representing 10% of global demand for regional jetsfor a total sales volume of $11 billion. Discussions were held with
Air France Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global a ...
and the
SkyTeam SkyTeam is one of the world's three major airline alliances. Founded in June 2000, SkyTeam was the last of the three alliances to be formed, the first two being Star Alliance and Oneworld, respectively. Its annual passenger count is 630 millio ...
alliance to ensure that the aircraft would meet western requirements. An application for
EASA The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) with responsibility for civil aviation safety. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs investigation and monito ...
certification was made in 2004 and was expected to be granted six months after the Russian approval. The Komsomolsk-on-Amur plant was selected in February 2005 for final assembly, implementing jig-less assembly, automatic component alignment and automatic riveting. The RRJ60 and RRJ75 were deemed to be less cost-effective, and development was focused on the largest model, the 98-seat RRJ95. The 78-seater RRJ75 remained under consideration, and a future stretch was also envisaged. The RRJ95 was renamed the Sukhoi Superjet 100 at the
Farnborough Air Show The Farnborough Airshow, officially the Farnborough International Airshow, is a trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries, where civilian and military aircraft are demonstrated to potential customers and investors. Since its fir ...
in July 2005. The first order, for 30 aircraft, was signed on 7 December with
Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (russian: ПАО "Аэрофло́т — Росси́йские авиали́нии", ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; russian: Аэрофлот, , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. The ...
. In June 2007, Boeing expanded its assistance to cover flight and maintenance crew training and manuals, and spare parts management and supply. On 22 August, Sukhoi and
Alenia Aeronautica Alenia Aeronautica was an Italian aerospace company. Its subsidiaries included Alenia Aermacchi and Alenia Aeronavali. Alenia Aeronautica was also the part-owner of ATR, a joint venture with European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS). ...
established the
SuperJet International SuperJet International (SJI) was a joint venture between Alenia Aermacchi (51%, now branded as Leonardo SpA) of Italy and Sukhoi Holding Company (49%) of Russia. The company was responsible for marketing, providing after-sales support and servic ...
joint venture for customer support outside Russia and Asia.
Alenia Aeronautica Alenia Aeronautica was an Italian aerospace company. Its subsidiaries included Alenia Aermacchi and Alenia Aeronavali. Alenia Aeronautica was also the part-owner of ATR, a joint venture with European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS). ...
took a 25% stake in Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Corporation (SCAC) for $250 million, valuing it at $1 billion. Development costs were expected to total $1 billion, with another $1 billion needed to develop the powerplant and for customer support.


Flight testing

The first SSJ was transported in an
Antonov 124 The Antonov An-124 Ruslan (; russian: Антонов Ан-124 Руслан, , Ruslan; NATO reporting name: Condor) is a large, strategic airlift, four-engined aircraft that was designed in the 1980s by the Antonov design bureau in the Ukrain ...
from
Komsomolsk-on-Amur Komsomolsk-on-Amur ( rus, Комсомольск-на-Амуре, r=Komsomolsk-na-Amure, p=kəmsɐˈmolʲsk nɐɐˈmurʲə) is a city in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, located on the west bank of the Amur River in the Russian Far East. It is located ...
to
Zhukovsky, Moscow Oblast Zhukovsky (russian: link=no, Жуковский, ) is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Moskva River, southeast of Moscow. Population: History The urban-type settlement of Stakhanovo was founded in 1935 from the dacha settlement ...
on 28 January 2007, for ground tests conducted by the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI). The SuperJet was officially unveiled on 26 September 2007 at Dzyomgi Airport in
Komsomolsk-on-Amur Komsomolsk-on-Amur ( rus, Комсомольск-на-Амуре, r=Komsomolsk-na-Amure, p=kəmsɐˈmolʲsk nɐɐˈmurʲə) is a city in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, located on the west bank of the Amur River in the Russian Far East. It is located ...
. By October 2007, initial deliveries were scheduled for 2009; plans called for the 95–98-seat model to be followed by a 75–78-seat shrink and a 110-seat stretch. The SaM146 engine was first run on 21 February 2008. Tests were conducted by the
Gromov Flight Research Institute The Gromov Flight Research Institute or GFRI for short (russian: link=no, Лётно-исследовательский институт имени М. М. Громова, russian: link=no, ЛИИ) is an important Russian State Researc ...
, using an
Ilyushin Il-76 The Ilyushin Il-76 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-76; NATO reporting name: Candid) is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a com ...
LL as a flying test bed. The SuperJet 100 made its maiden flight on 19 May 2008, taking off from Komsomolsk-on-Amur. By July, certification was expected for the third quarter of 2009, pushing back deliveries to later the same quarter. On 24 December 2008, the second SSJ made its maiden flight. By January 2009, the first two aircraft had completed over 80 flights, and the engines had accumulated 2,300 hours of tests. In April 2009, the two prototypes were flown from Novosibirsk to Moscow, and
EASA The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) with responsibility for civil aviation safety. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs investigation and monito ...
pilots conducted a number of familiarisation flights. A third prototype joined the test campaign in July 2009. The SSJ made its international debut at the 2009
Paris Air Show The Paris Air Show (french: Salon international de l'aéronautique et de l'espace de Paris-Le Bourget, Salon du Bourget) is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France. Organized by the Frenc ...
; during the show,
Malév Hungarian Airlines MALÉV Ltd. ( hu, Malév Zrt.), which did business as MALÉV Hungarian Airlines ( hu, Magyar Légiközlekedési Vállalat, abbreviated ''MALÉV'', ), was the flag carrier of Hungary from 1946 until 2012. Its head office was in Budapest, with i ...
placed a $1 billion order for 30 aircraft. As of June 2009, 13 aircraft were under construction, with the first four scheduled to be handed over to clients from December. Armenian
Armavia Armavia ( hy, Արմավիա) was an airline that existed between 1996 and 2013. It was Armenia's flag carrier, with its head office on the grounds of Zvartnots International Airport in Zvartnots, Armenia, near Yerevan. It operated international ...
was to receive the first two, followed by
Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (russian: ПАО "Аэрофло́т — Росси́йские авиали́нии", ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; russian: Аэрофлот, , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. The ...
, having ordered 30 with an option for 15 more. Other customers include Russian
Avialeasing Avialeasing Aviation Company is a cargo airline based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. It operates cargo services linking cities in Asia with western and eastern Europe. Its main base is Yuzhny Airport, Tashkent.Flight International 27 March 2007 It is a ...
, Swiss AMA Asset Management Advisor, and Indonesian Kartika Airlines. Sukhoi expected production to reach a rate of 70 aircraft per year by 2012. In December 2009, engine availability issues resulted in deliveries being delayed indefinitely. On 4 February 2010, the fourth prototype made its maiden flight using engines removed from the first prototype, as a result of continuing delays in engine production, including NPO Saturn quality problems. On 15 September 2010, static tests for certification of the aircraft were completed by TsAGI.


Certification

By June 2010, certification was 90% complete but was delayed due to SaM146 engine problems that were not encountered during testing. In September 2010, certification was expected for November. In October 2010, noise was tested for certification authorities, Russian IAC and European
EASA The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) with responsibility for civil aviation safety. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs investigation and monito ...
. On 4 November 2010, the first production aircraft, intended for Armavia, was first flown. By November 2010, the SSJ test fleet had made 948 flights totalling 2,245 hours. On 3 February 2011, IAC granted a
Type Certificate A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). It confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production, is in compliance with applic ...
. EASA's Type Certificate followed on 3 February 2012, allowing operations in European countries. On 14 March 2022, EASA revoked the Superjet's airworthiness certificate as part of the EU's sanctions against Russia following the
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
.


In service developments

In summer 2017, the
business jet A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pu ...
variant's additional fuel tanks were certified to carry 3,100 kg (6,800 lb) more fuel, increasing range from to .
London City Airport London City Airport is a regional airport in London, England. It is located in the Royal Docks in the Borough of Newham, approximately east of the City of London and east of Canary Wharf. These are the twin centres of London's financial ...
is a major destination for Irish airline
CityJet CityJet is an Irish regional airline with headquarters in Swords, Dublin. It was founded in 1992 and has gone through a series of corporate structures. Air France sold CityJet to ''Intro Aviation'' in May 2014; in March 2016 the airline was b ...
, which was to receive 15 SSJ100s, but its steep 5.5° approach required new control laws,
wing flap A flap is a high-lift device used to reduce the stalling speed of an aircraft wing at a given weight. Flaps are usually mounted on the wing trailing edges of a fixed-wing aircraft. Flaps are used to reduce the take-off distance and the landing ...
setting and modified brakes: test flights were to begin in December 2017, with certification planned for 2018, and the modified aircraft to be available in 2019. A new "sabrelet"
winglet Wingtip devices are intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft by reducing drag. Although there are several types of wing tip devices which function in different manners, their intended effect is always to reduce an aircraft' ...
, helping takeoff and landing performance and delivering 3% better fuel burn, will be standard and available for retrofit. Designed with CFD tools by Sukhoi and
TsAGI The Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (also (Zhukovsky) Central Institute of Aerodynamics, russian: Центра́льный аэрогидродинами́ческий институ́т, ЦАГИ, Tsentral'nyy Aerogidrodinamicheskiy Institut, ...
, the "saberlets" debuted flight tests on 21 December 2017. They should improve hot and high airport performance and cut costs up to $70,000 per year. Parts of the wing are reinforced for the aerodynamic loads distribution change. They should reduce fuel costs by 4%, flight-testing was completed after over 140 flights by October 2019. The first aircraft with the composite winglets was delivered to Russian carrier Severstal Aircompany in December 2019. By November 2018, the
TsAGI The Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (also (Zhukovsky) Central Institute of Aerodynamics, russian: Центра́льный аэрогидродинами́ческий институ́т, ЦАГИ, Tsentral'nyy Aerogidrodinamicheskiy Institut, ...
carried out wind tunnel tests on two modified wing designs to save structural weight: one with less wing sweep and the other with more relative thickness, also enhancing aerodynamics and load capabilities, and improving
fuel efficiency Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device ...
by nearly 10%.


Russified SSJ

To resist the Airbus–Boeing duopoly pressure on
regional jet A regional jet (RJ) is a jet-powered regional airliner with fewer than 100 seats. The first one was the Sud-Aviation Caravelle in 1959, followed by the widespread Yakovlev Yak-40, Fokker F-28, and BAe 146. The 1990s saw the emergence of ...
s through the Embraer E-Jet E2 and the
Airbus A220 The Airbus A220 is a family of five-abreast narrow-body airliners by Airbus Canada Limited Partnership. It was originally designed by Bombardier and had two years in service as the Bombardier CSeries. The program was launched on 13 July ...
,
Sukhoi The JSC Sukhoi Company (russian: ПАО «Компания „Сухой“», ) is a Russian aircraft manufacturer (formerly Soviet), headquartered in Begovoy District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow, that designs both civilian and mili ...
would upgrade the SSJ100 to the SSJ100B and the "Russianised" SSJ100R. Western content accounts for 55–60% of the original SSJ100's cost but
sanctions against Russia Sanctions, economic or international, that have been imposed on Russia include: * International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War (2014–) ** Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, US legislation (2017) ** International sanc ...
are tightening. As of December 2018, the US authorities did not send any feedback to Sukhoi over exports to Iran. The SSJ100B would feature more powerful SaM146-1S18 engines, improved avionics software, enhanced
high-lift device In aircraft design and aerospace engineering, a high-lift device is a component or mechanism on an aircraft's wing that increases the amount of lift produced by the wing. The device may be a fixed component, or a movable mechanism which is deplo ...
s controls and retrofittable "sabrelet" blended
wingtip device Wingtip devices are intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft by reducing drag (physics), drag. Although there are several types of wing tip devices which function in different manners, their intended effect is always to redu ...
s. After 2021 the SSJ100R would replace western components by Russian ones for government customers and countries subject to Western sanctions such as Iran Air Tours and Iran Aseman. SSJ100R could include a smaller variant of the Aviadvigatel PD-14 engine ( Aviadvigatel PD-8); KRET electronic units to replace the Thales
avionics Avionics (a blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the hundreds of systems that are fit ...
; a Russian
inertial navigation system An inertial navigation system (INS) is a navigation device that uses motion sensors ( accelerometers), rotation sensors ( gyroscopes) and a computer to continuously calculate by dead reckoning the position, the orientation, and the velocity ...
and APU to replace
Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...
's; and the
landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Mart ...
to replace one produced by
Safran Safran S.A. is a French multinational company that designs, develops and manufactures aircraft engines, rocket engines as well as various aerospace and defense-related equipment or their components. It was formed by a merger between SNECMA a ...
. Fuel burn would be reduced by 5–8% with a new composite wing. Russian content should double to 30% as US restrictions limit its export potential. Sukhoi forecasts 345 sales from 2018 to 2030, mostly in
post-Soviet states The post-Soviet states, also known as the former Soviet Union (FSU), the former Soviet Republics and in Russia as the near abroad (russian: links=no, ближнее зарубежье, blizhneye zarubezhye), are the 15 sovereign states that wer ...
and some in
south-east Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
and
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...
, including an improved range
business jet A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pu ...
version. The
seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile tha ...
is to be raised to 110, and hot and high operations to 4000 m and 50 °C. A freighter variant is also being studied.
Russian government The Government of Russia exercises executive power in the Russian Federation. The members of the government are the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers, and the federal ministers. It has its legal basis in the Constitution of the Russ ...
has earmarked 3.2 billion ($51 million) toward the variant of the SSJ with indigenous propulsion and avionics, introduced at the Eurasia Airshow 2018 in
Antalya la, Attalensis grc, Ἀτταλειώτης , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 07xxx , area_code = (+90) 242 , registration_plate = 07 , blank_name = Licence plate ...
alongside the SSJ75. In May 2021, Rostec announced the completion of the first experimental core 'hot section' of the PD-8 engine. The 'Russified' variant of the SSJ with the composite wing, indigenous avionics and the PD-8 engine later became known as the SSJ-New. In July 2021, UEC exhibited the new engine at the 2021 Moscow Air Show and aimed to secure type certification by 2023. In January 2022, a new control system, developed by UEC for the PD-8 engine, was being tested prior to integration with the engine. The full domestic fabrications plan will take place in 2023 to 2024, replacing Western components. Under a plan announced in June 2022 to bring the proportion of domestically produced aircraft to 80% of the Russian fleet by the end of the decade following the
international sanctions International sanctions are political and economic decisions that are part of diplomatic efforts by countries, multilateral or regional organizations against states or organizations either to protect national security interests, or to protect i ...
brought in after the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. A ...
, serial production of the SSJ-New was expected to begin in 2023. In July 2022, a prototype SSJ-New fuselage was transported to test facilities near Moscow to undergo life cycle testing.


Irkut Corporation integration

At the end of November 2018,
United Aircraft Corporation , former_name = OJSC United Aircraft Corporation (2006–2015) , type = Public, PJSC , traded_as = , industry = Aerospace, defense , predecessor = Ilyushin, Irkut, Mikoyan, Sukhoi, Tupolev, Yakovlev , founded = , founder = Vladimir P ...
transferred from
Sukhoi The JSC Sukhoi Company (russian: ПАО «Компания „Сухой“», ) is a Russian aircraft manufacturer (formerly Soviet), headquartered in Begovoy District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow, that designs both civilian and mili ...
to the Irkut Corporation, to become UAC's
airliner An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ai ...
division, as
Leonardo S.p.A. Leonardo S.p.A., formerly Leonardo-Finmeccanica and originally Finmeccanica, is an Italian multinational company specialising in aerospace, defence and security. Headquartered in Rome, Italy, the company has 180 sites worldwide. It is the eighth ...
pulled out in early 2017 because of Superjet's poor financial performance. Irkut will manage the Superjet 100, the MC-21 and the Russo-Chinese CR929 widebody, but the
Il-114 The Ilyushin Il-114 (Russian Илью́шин Ил-114) is a Russian twin-engine turboprop airliner, designed for local routes. Intended to replace the Antonov An-24, it first flew in 1990. A total of 20 Il-114s have been built. Production ...
passenger turboprop and modernized
Ilyushin Il-96 The Ilyushin Il-96 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-96) is a Russian quadjet long-haul wide-body airliner designed by Ilyushin in the former Soviet Union and manufactured by the Voronezh Aircraft Production Association in Russia. It is powered ...
-400 widebody will stay with
Ilyushin The public joint stock company Ilyushin Aviation Complex, operating as Ilyushin (russian: Илью́шин) or as Ilyushin Design Bureau, is a former Soviet and now a Russian aircraft manufacturer and design bureau, founded in 1933 by Sergey ...
. The new commercial division will also include the Yakovlev Design Bureau, avionics specialist UAC—Integration Center and composite manufacturer AeroComposit. The aircraft is to be known simply as the Superjet 100, dropping the Sukhoi name.


Design

The five-abreast cross-section is more optimised beyond 70 seats than the four-abreast
Bombardier CRJ The Bombardier CRJ or CRJ Series (for Canadair Regional Jet) is a family of regional jets introduced in 1991 by Bombardier Aerospace. The CRJ was formerly manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace with the manufacturing of the first CRJ generation, ...
s and Embraer E-Jets but smaller than the six-abreast
Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the fam ...
and
Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two u ...
. The SSJ100 typically seats 87 to 98 passengers. In Russia, it replaces the aging Tupolev Tu-134 and Yakovlev Yak-42 aircraft. It competes with the
Antonov An-148 The Antonov An-148 ( ua, Антонов Ан-148) is a regional jet designed and built by Antonov of Ukraine. Development of the aircraft was started in the 1990s, and its maiden flight took place on 17 December 2004. The aircraft completed i ...
, Embraer E190 and the Bombardier CRJ1000. Sukhoi claims cash operational costs are lower than competitors by 8-10%, with reduced fuel burn per seat and longer maintenance intervals. The design meets CIS AP-25, US FAR-25 and EU JAR-25 aviation rules, and conforms to ICAO Chapter 4 and FAR 36 Section 4 noise standards from 2006. The
PowerJet SaM146 The PowerJet SaM146 is a turbofan engine produced by the PowerJet joint venture between Snecma (Safran) of France and NPO Saturn of Russia. Developing of thrust, the SaM146 is used on the Sukhoi Superjet 100. Snecma is in charge of the core en ...
turbofan The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft engine, aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the ''turbo'' portion refers to a gas turbine engine which ac ...
s provides of thrust for 70–120 seat aircraft. The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade supports it as a priority project. In 2010, development costs were $1.4 billion excluding the SaM146 engine, with 25% funded from the federal budget, rising to US$ 1.5 billion by 2013. Unit cost was US$31–35 million in 2012, rising to a US$50.1 million base price in 2018. Over 30 foreign partnerships are involved. The SaM146 engines are developed, manufactured and marketed by
PowerJet PowerJet is a Franco-Russian 50-50 joint venture created in 2004 by aeronautical engine manufacturers Snecma (Safran) and NPO Saturn. The company is in charge of the SaM146 program – the sole powerplant for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 airliner – ...
, a joint-venture between the French
Snecma Safran Aircraft Engines, previously Snecma (''Société nationale d'études et de construction de moteurs d'aviation'') or Snecma Moteurs, is a French aerospace engine manufacturer headquartered in Courcouronnes and a subsidiary of Safran. It ...
and Russia's
NPO Saturn UEC NPO Saturn, PJSC (russian: ОДК-Сатурн НПО) is a Russian aircraft engine manufacturer, formed from the mergers of Rybinsk Motors and Lyul'ka-Saturn (after Arkhip Mikhailovich Lyulka) in 2001. Saturn's engines power many former Ea ...
. A joint venture between Alenia (later part of
Leonardo S.p.A. Leonardo S.p.A., formerly Leonardo-Finmeccanica and originally Finmeccanica, is an Italian multinational company specialising in aerospace, defence and security. Headquartered in Rome, Italy, the company has 180 sites worldwide. It is the eighth ...
) and
Sukhoi The JSC Sukhoi Company (russian: ПАО «Компания „Сухой“», ) is a Russian aircraft manufacturer (formerly Soviet), headquartered in Begovoy District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow, that designs both civilian and mili ...
,
SuperJet International SuperJet International (SJI) was a joint venture between Alenia Aermacchi (51%, now branded as Leonardo SpA) of Italy and Sukhoi Holding Company (49%) of Russia. The company was responsible for marketing, providing after-sales support and servic ...
, was responsible for marketing in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Japan and Oceania, though Leonardo pulled out in early 2017 because of Superjet's poor financial performance and Sukhoi regained a 100% share in . Assembly is performed at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant in the
Russian Far East The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admin ...
, while the Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association produces components; both are upgrading their facilities and were expecting to produce 70 airframes by 2012.


Operational history


Introduction

On 19 April 2011, the first production aircraft was handed over to
Armavia Armavia ( hy, Արմավիա) was an airline that existed between 1996 and 2013. It was Armenia's flag carrier, with its head office on the grounds of Zvartnots International Airport in Zvartnots, Armenia, near Yerevan. It operated international ...
at Zvartnots Airport in
Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...
, to be operated to
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
and
Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents i ...
, as well as Ukrainian cities. The aircraft was named after
Yuri Gagarin Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin; Gagarin's first name is sometimes transliterated as ''Yuriy'', ''Youri'', or ''Yury''. (9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who became the first human to journey into outer space. T ...
. On 21 April, the first commercial flight landed at Moscow Sheremetyevo, lasting 2 h 55 min; Armavia used the Airbus A319 on this route before switching to the Superjet 100. On 1 May, it made its first commercial flight to
Venice Airport Venice Marco Polo Airport is the international airport of Venice, Italy. It is located on the mainland near the village of Tessera, a ''frazione'' of the '' comune'' of Venice located about east of Mestre (on the mainland) and around the sam ...
in around 4 hours, it had accumulated 50 hours in 24 flights by then. By March 2012, the six aircraft operated by
Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (russian: ПАО "Аэрофло́т — Росси́йские авиали́нии", ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; russian: Аэрофлот, , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. The ...
were flying 3.9 hours/day instead of the standard 8–9 hours due to failures and parts delivery delays, and the airline asked for compensation. In August 2012, Armavia announced that it had returned both of its SSJ100s to the manufacturer. Armavia then avoided further deliveries. In February 2013, Sukhoi stated teething problems are usual in new airliners. The SSJ entered service with Mexican Interjet on 18 September 2013; in their first four weeks, the first two aircraft operated were flown 580 times over 600 hours with a daily utilisation of 9.74 hours and a dispatch reliability of 99.03%. By June 2014, Interjet had received seven SSJ100s and the dispatch reliability had increased to 99.7%. On 12 September 2014, Interjet started regular passenger flights to the US, on the
Monterrey, Mexico Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
, –
San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...
, route. On 3 June 2016, the Irish carrier
CityJet CityJet is an Irish regional airline with headquarters in Swords, Dublin. It was founded in 1992 and has gone through a series of corporate structures. Air France sold CityJet to ''Intro Aviation'' in May 2014; in March 2016 the airline was b ...
was the first western European airline to take delivery of an SSJ100.


Dependability

On 24 December 2016, the Russian
Federal Air Transport Agency The Federal Air Transport Agency (russian: Федеральное агентство воздушного транспорта - ''Federalnoye agentstvo vozdushnogo transporta'', ''FAVT''), also known as Rosaviatsiya (russian: Росавиац� ...
grounded seven jets after a
tail The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammal ...
component of an
IrAero IrAero is an airline based in Irkutsk, Russia. It operates domestic and international scheduled passenger services, charter and cargo flights. Its main base is in Irkutsk Airport. History The airline was established in 1999 in Irkutsk, Russia. ...
SSJ100 showed
metal fatigue In materials science, fatigue is the initiation and propagation of cracks in a material due to cyclic loading. Once a fatigue crack has initiated, it grows a small amount with each loading cycle, typically producing striations on some parts o ...
, leading Sukhoi to inspect the entire fleet. By 27 December, all aircraft had been inspected and it had been shown that the defect was not
system A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment, is described by its boundaries, structure and purpose and express ...
ic as it featured multiple redundancies and a safety margin doubling the normal loads. Interjet grounded half of its fleet of SSJ100s during this period, but all of its aircraft were returned to service by the first week of January 2017 after Sukhoi sent 22 technicians to repair the grounded aircraft. In June 2017, dispatch reliability increased to 97.85% from 96.94% a year earlier, while there were 89.6 malfunctions per 1,000 flight-hours, down by 40%. On 21 July 2017, following the discovery of horizontal stabiliser rear spar cracks, the
EASA The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) with responsibility for civil aviation safety. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs investigation and monito ...
mandated compulsory inspections. Sukhoi recognises it needs to improve customer support with more responsiveness and availability for
flight training Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a st ...
, engineering and
spare part A spare part, spare, service part, repair part, or replacement part, is an interchangeable part that is kept in an inventory and used for the repair or refurbishment of defective equipment/units. Spare parts are an important feature of logist ...
s supply. In early November 2017, the Russian
Federal Air Transport Agency The Federal Air Transport Agency (russian: Федеральное агентство воздушного транспорта - ''Federalnoye agentstvo vozdushnogo transporta'', ''FAVT''), also known as Rosaviatsiya (russian: Росавиац� ...
and Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) amended their bilateral airworthiness agreement, hitting SSJ export sales. Interjet claimed its capital cost for 10 Superjets was equivalent to the pre-delivery payment for one
Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the fam ...
. The pre-delivery payment amounts to 15-30% of an aircraft list price. An A320 list price was $88.3M in 2012. In January 2018, '' Bloomberg'' reported that four of Interjet's 22 SSJ100s were being cannibalised for parts to keep others running after having been grounded for at least five months because of SaM146 maintenance delays. This was later refuted by Interjet. One grounded SSJ100 was due to be back in service on 19 January 2018 and the remaining three in March. In August 2018, Russian regional carrier Yakutia Airlines considered withdrawing their SSJs, after two were grounded because their engines were removed after 1,500-3,000 cycles, below the 7,000 specified, and no replacements were available.
PowerJet PowerJet is a Franco-Russian 50-50 joint venture created in 2004 by aeronautical engine manufacturers Snecma (Safran) and NPO Saturn. The company is in charge of the SaM146 program – the sole powerplant for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 airliner – ...
was expanding its repair capacity and lease pool as engine maturity improved, noting that the SaM146 engine achieved 99.9% dependability since its 2011 introduction.


Productivity

In September 2018, Interjet was reported to be considering replacing its SSJ100s with
Airbus A320neo The Airbus A320neo family is a development of the A320 family of narrow-body airliners produced by Airbus. The A320neo family (''neo'' for "new engine option") is based on the previous A319, A320 and A321 ( enhanced variant), which was then ren ...
s, to make better use of its slots, with the SSJ technical problems possibly also a factor. On 12 September, Interjet denied the report. It was later reported that Interjet intends to phase out some of its Superjets and take 20 more A320neos, maybe alongside newer Superjet deliveries; it will have access to an enhanced SSJ spares inventory in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
and is installing a
flight simulator A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they re ...
in
Toluca Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in Mexico. The city ...
. The updated SSJs would have
winglet Wingtip devices are intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft by reducing drag. Although there are several types of wing tip devices which function in different manners, their intended effect is always to reduce an aircraft' ...
s, a higher
MTOW The maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) or maximum gross takeoff weight (MGTOW) or maximum takeoff mass (MTOM) of an aircraft is the maximum weight at which the pilot is allowed to attempt to take off, due to structural or other limits. The analogous ...
and improved systems and interior. Sukhoi has also proposed to increase the cabin density from 93 to 108 seats by reducing the pitch from . While the airline was attracted by its low introductory price, Sukhoi was forced to reimburse Interjet in 2018 after its fleet of 30 suffered persistent faults. In October 2018, Sukhoi and engine contractor UEC agreed on a plan, backed by the
Russian government The Government of Russia exercises executive power in the Russian Federation. The members of the government are the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers, and the federal ministers. It has its legal basis in the Constitution of the Russ ...
, to focus on customer support rather than deliveries in order to improve dispatch reliability. At the end of November 2018,
United Aircraft Corporation , former_name = OJSC United Aircraft Corporation (2006–2015) , type = Public, PJSC , traded_as = , industry = Aerospace, defense , predecessor = Ilyushin, Irkut, Mikoyan, Sukhoi, Tupolev, Yakovlev , founded = , founder = Vladimir P ...
transferred from Sukhoi Holding to the Irkut Corporation, to become UAC's airliner division. By then,
Brussels Airlines Brussels Airlines is the flag carrier and largest airline of Belgium, based and headquartered at Brussels Airport. It operates to over 100 destinations in Europe, North America and Africa and also offers charter services, maintenance and crew ...
was seeking alternatives for its four SSJ100s wet-leased from
CityJet CityJet is an Irish regional airline with headquarters in Swords, Dublin. It was founded in 1992 and has gone through a series of corporate structures. Air France sold CityJet to ''Intro Aviation'' in May 2014; in March 2016 the airline was b ...
, as teething problems affected their reliability. By February 2019, CityJet's remaining five SSJ100s stood idle and were expected to be transferred to Slovenia's
Adria Airways Adria Airways d.o.o. (formerly ''Inex-Adria Aviopromet'' and later ''Inex-Adria Airways'') was the flag carrier of Slovenia, operating scheduled and charter services to European destinations. The company's head office was at Ljubljana Jože Pu ...
, which committed for 15 in late 2018, though Adria subsequently cancelled its order in April 2019. Neither CityJet nor Brussels Airlines have commented as to why they dropped the SSJ, though low reliability, difficult maintenance and spare parts availability are suspected to have contributed. By the end of the first quarter of 2019, 15 of Interjet's 22 SSJs were out of service. Further talks with Sukhoi were deadlocked, with Interjet reportedly unwilling to pay for repairs to the PowerJet SaM146 engines.Interjet's reliability issues are compounded by the lack of service facilities in the Americas for the SSJ, a factor which also contributed to the poor reliability recorded by CityJet, On 15 May 2019, Interjet announced that it is to sell its 20 SSJs, of which only five are operational, as it is no longer profitable to operate aircraft of this size in Mexico. Therefore, , Sukhoi has had trouble selling the Superjet and renewing leasing contracts outside of Russia because of reliability and service network issues, resulting in an average of 109 flight hours per month for Russian airlines, approximately half the Embraer EMB 170 productivity, and just a third of a Boeing or Airbus jet. Unease with the SSJ's low reliability also spread to Russian operators.


Slow sales

Sukhoi delivered only three SSJs in the first half of 2019; its financial results show a sevenfold drop in aircraft sales revenue and a fourfold drop in overall sales revenue, resulting in a 32% increase in its net loss. The company needs to achieve a production rate of 32 to 34 aircraft per year to make a profit, though demand for Russian models in the 60–120 seat category is forecast to be only 10 aircraft per year over a 20-year period. In the short-term, the company's main hope is that Aeroflot will firm up its 2018 preliminary agreement for 100 SSJs.
Yamal Airlines Yamal Airlines (Russian: ОАО "Авиационная транспортная компания "Ямал", ''OAO Aviacionnaja transportnaja kompania "Yamal"'') is an airline based in Salekhard, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It opera ...
, the second-largest Russian SSJ operator, announced the cancellation of its order for 10 further SSJs, citing high servicing costs. Of 30–40 SSJs owned by Aeroflot, only 10 are reportedly usable at a time due to maintenance problems. Aeroflot cancelled approximately 50 Superjet flights in the week following the Flight 1492 accident. ''
Kommersant ''Kommersant'' (russian: Коммерсантъ, , ''The Businessman'' or Commerce Man, often shortened to Ъ) is a nationally distributed daily newspaper published in Russia mostly devoted to politics and business. The TNS Media and NRS Russia ...
'' cited industry sources as saying the Superjet 100 had lower dispatch reliability than Airbus and Boeing aircraft in the airline's fleet historically and attributed a rise in cancellations to "increased safety measures" at Aeroflot while the accident is investigated. On 4 June, the Russian
Federal Air Transport Agency The Federal Air Transport Agency (russian: Федеральное агентство воздушного транспорта - ''Federalnoye agentstvo vozdushnogo transporta'', ''FAVT''), also known as Rosaviatsiya (russian: Росавиац� ...
(Rosaviatsiya) ordered carriers to perform one-time inspections of the SSJ, including a general check of the aircraft's condition and verification of aircraft and engine logs, by 25 June. A total of 12 jets were delivered in 2020 to the following operators:
Rossiya Airlines Rossiya Airlinesrossiya-airlines.com - About us
retrieved 2016-09-19
( ...
, Azimuth Airlines, Red Wings Airlines. The sole remaining western operator, Interjet, down by the end of November 2020 to just four operational SSJ100s, quit flying in December of 2020 and entered bankruptcy in April of 2021. Part of Interjet’s plan was to try to return its 22 SSJ-100s to Sukhoi to cancel its debt, and resume flying with 10 Airbus A320 aircraft. In December 2020,
Rossiya Airlines Rossiya Airlinesrossiya-airlines.com - About us
retrieved 2016-09-19
( ...
announced that it intends to operate 66 Superjets by the end of 2021, transferred from its parent company Aeroflot which currently has 54 SSJs.


Variants

Three variants were initially planned, seating 60, 78 and 98 passengers: the RRJ-60, RRJ-75 and RRJ-95, respectively. By 2007, the RRJ-60 had been dropped, to focus on the 98-seater, with the 78-seater to follow. The basic version was certified by the
EASA The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) with responsibility for civil aviation safety. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs investigation and monito ...
on 3 February 2012, the RRJ-95LR100 with an
MTOW The maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) or maximum gross takeoff weight (MGTOW) or maximum takeoff mass (MTOM) of an aircraft is the maximum weight at which the pilot is allowed to attempt to take off, due to structural or other limits. The analogous ...
increased from and the RRJ-95B100 with thrust increased from the SaM146-1S17 of -1S18s were added on 7 March 2017. The RRJ-95LR100 range is increased to . The RRJ-95B100 takeoff distance is reduced by 10%.


130–140 seat stretch

In 2011, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade mentioned the stretched Superjet 130NG, seating 130. It would have an
aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...
fuselage and
composite Composite or compositing may refer to: Materials * Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances ** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts ** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic materials ...
wings. The new materials were intended to reduce weight by 15-20%, increase service life by 20–30% and reduce operating costs by 10–12%. In 2013, funding was planned to start in 2016 for production from 2019 to 2020. It would have used a derivative of the Irkut MC-21 composite wing and
Pratt & Whitney PW1000G The Pratt & Whitney PW1000G, also called the Geared Turbofan (GTF), is a high-bypass geared turbofan engine family produced by Pratt & Whitney. After many demonstrators, the program was launched with the Mitsubishi MRJ's PW1200G in March 2008 ...
engines. The 130-seat stretch would have been known as the Sukhoi Superjet 130NG. It would have competed with the
Airbus A220 The Airbus A220 is a family of five-abreast narrow-body airliners by Airbus Canada Limited Partnership. It was originally designed by Bombardier and had two years in service as the Bombardier CSeries. The program was launched on 13 July ...
and
Embraer E-Jet E2 family The Embraer E-Jet E2 family are medium- range jet airliners developed by Embraer, succeeding the original E-Jet. The program was launched at the Paris Air Show in 2013. The first variant, the E190-E2, took its first flight on 23 May 2016 and ...
.


115–120 seat stretch

In 2016, a shorter stretch seating up to 120, using larger wings but the same engines and tail, was planned for introduction in 2020. In 2017, with a business plan for 150 aircraft, a go-ahead for the NG 130-seat stretch depended on the availability of engines with sufficient
thrust Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's third law. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction, the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction to be applied to that ...
and was due by the end of the year. The aircraft could carry up to 120 passengers with the existing engines, and up to 125 passengers with
airframe The mechanical structure of an aircraft is known as the airframe. This structure is typically considered to include the fuselage, undercarriage, empennage and wings, and excludes the propulsion system. Airframe design is a field of aerospa ...
continuous improvements;
PowerJet PowerJet is a Franco-Russian 50-50 joint venture created in 2004 by aeronautical engine manufacturers Snecma (Safran) and NPO Saturn. The company is in charge of the SaM146 program – the sole powerplant for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 airliner – ...
could certify a thrust increase of 2% within three years. Sukhoi was to decide by the first quarter of 2018 whether to launch first a shortened 75-seat or a stretched variant needing higher thrust SaM146s or an alternative engine.


75 seat shrink

At the February 2018
Singapore Air Show The Singapore Airshow is a biennial aerospace event held in Singapore, debuted in 2008. It hosts high-level government and military delegations, as well as senior corporate executives around the world, while serving as a global event for leadin ...
, Sukhoi announced a possible 75-seat shrink, to enter service in 2022. With a smaller, optimised aluminium or composite wing, it would be powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1200Gs, detuned SaM146s or Aviadvigatel PD-14 derived PD-7s. The shorter fuselage would be lighter and it would fall within US
scope clause A scope clause is part of a contract between a major airline and the trade union of its pilots that limit the number and size of aircraft that may be flown by the airline's regional airline affiliate. The goal is to protect the union pilots' jo ...
s, but would require Western service and support experience. Demand for such jets is 200–300 in Russia and up to 3,000 overseas; introduction could slip to early 2023. As Sukhoi and Irkut may be consolidated into United Aircraft, some structures and avionics could be closer to the Irkut MC-21 for
commonality In aviation, fleet commonality is the economic and logistic benefits of operating a standardized fleet of aircraft that share common parts, training requirements, or other characteristics. Different types of commonality Commonality policies ...
. A unified platform with identical controls would ease pilot conversions;
S7 Airlines S7 Airlines, legally JSC Siberia Airlines (russian: АО «Авиакомпания "Сибирь"», "АО Aviakompania Sibir"), is an airline headquartered in Ob, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia, with offices in Moscow. As of 2008, it was Russia's ...
committed to 75 aircraft. In July 2018, a composite wing was preferred and a 3-metre test section will be manufactured and tested. The variant would retain the SaM146 and
empty weight The empty weight of a vehicle is based on its weight without any payload (cargo, passengers, usable fuel, etc.). Aviation Many different empty weight definitions exist. Here are some of the more common ones used. GAMA standardization In 1975 ...
should be reduced by 12–15%. In 2018, serial production was planned for 2025, four years after design approval. By 2019, the priority had shifted to the replacement of Western parts on the SSJ100 so that the aircraft can be sold to US-sanctioned countries such as Iran. S7 Airlines, which had committed to 75 of the shortened aircraft, may seek alternatives from Bombardier or Embraer. In September 2019 the owner of S7, Vladislav Filev, confirmed his understanding that the SSJ75 project had been abandoned. He explained that S7 had insisted on the participation of its own experts in the test programme, and had demanded the replacement of the composite floor that showed insufficient fire resistance in the Sheremetyevo crash, together with a redesign of the wheel wells.


Orders and deliveries

By August 2016, 133 SSJ100s were in operation with eight airlines and five governmental and business aviation organizations. In October 2017, there were 105 SSJ100s in service worldwide: some used by government bodies such as the
Royal Thai Air Force "Royal Thai Air Force March" , mascot = , anniversaries = 9 April 1937 (Royal Thai Air Force Day) , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles ...
and Kazakh government agencies. The fleet had logged 230,000 flights in 340,000 hours since its commercial operations debuted in 2011. At least 30 SSJ100s were to be delivered in 2017, with 38 planned for 2018 and 37 for 2019. In May 2018, ten years after its first flight, the fleet of 127 have logged over 275,000 commercial flights and 420,000 hours. In September 2018, it had logged over 300,000 revenue flights lasting 460,000 hours.


Specifications


Accidents and incidents

There have been three
hull loss A hull loss is an aviation accident that catastrophically damages the aircraft beyond economical repair, resulting in a total loss. The term also applies to situations in which the aircraft is missing, the search for their wreckage is terminated ...
accidents and 86 deaths as of June 2019. * On 9 May 2012, a demonstration flight directly struck Mount Salak in
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
, killing all 45 on board (Sukhoi personnel and representatives of various local airlines). The
TAWS In aviation, a terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS) is generally an on-board system aimed at preventing unintentional impacts with the ground, termed "controlled flight into terrain" accidents, or CFIT.Federal Aviation AdministrationInsta ...
was ignored by the pilot, distracted by a conversation with a potential customer. * On 21 July 2013, during autoland evaluation of an RRJ-95B (Russian experimental registry) with a single engine in a
crosswind A crosswind is any wind that has a perpendicular component to the line or direction of travel. This affects the aerodynamics of many forms of transport. Moving non-parallel to the wind's direction creates a crosswind component on the object and th ...
at
Keflavík Airport Keflavík (pronounced , meaning ''Driftwood Bay'') is a town in the Reykjanes region in southwest Iceland. It is included in the municipality of Reykjanesbær whose population as of 2016 is 15,129. In 1995, Keflavik merged with nearby Njarðv ...
in
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...
, the fuselage hit and slid down the runway with the gear up. During an intended
go-around In aviation, a go-around is an aborted landing of an aircraft that is on final approach or has already touched down. A go-around can either be initiated by the pilot flying or requested by air traffic control for various reasons, such as an unsta ...
, the fatigued pilot throttled down the wrong engine, causing the aircraft to lose thrust sufficient for controlled flight. The plane continued to lose altitude and hit the runway even as the pilot realized his mistake and throttled up the engine. One of the five crew was injured during evacuation. The Icelandic Aircraft Accident Investigation Board investigated the event and issued nine recommendations. * On 10 October 2018, a Yakutia Airlines SSJ100 slid off the runway at Yakutsk Airport as the main
landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Mart ...
collapsed. All 87 passengers and five crew were safely evacuated and none were seriously injured. The excursion may have been caused by ice on the runway or the airstrip's poor state of repair. The airliner was damaged beyond repair and was expected to be written off. * On 5 May 2019, as Aeroflot Flight 1492 was climbing after takeoff from Moscow Sheremetyevo, at
lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an average ...
discharged close to the aircraft from a nearby
cumulonimbus cloud Cumulonimbus (from Latin ''cumulus'', "heaped" and ''nimbus'', "rainstorm") is a dense, towering vertical cloud, typically forming from water vapor condensing in the lower troposphere that builds upward carried by powerful buoyant air currents. ...
with a base. The
radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30  hertz (Hz) and 300  gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a tr ...
and other equipment failed, and the flight crew chose to make an emergency landing at Sheremetyevo. The aircraft bounced several times after an initial touchdown, and after the fourth hard touchdown a
fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames ...
erupted and engulfed the rear of the aircraft. An
emergency evacuation Emergency evacuation is the urgent immediate egress or escape of people away from an area that contains an imminent threat, an ongoing threat or a hazard to lives or property. Examples range from the small-scale evacuation of a building due t ...
was then carried out but 41 out of 78 occupants died.


See also


Notes


References


External links

*
Unofficial production list and backlog
*
Products of the Regional Aircraft-Branch of the Irkut Corporation
{{Portal bar, Russia, Aviation 2000s Russian airliners Twinjets Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 2008