Russia is creating an independent aircraft industry, ahead of China in this matter

The first flights of fully import-substituting MS-21 and SSJ-100 aircraft with domestic engines are planned for next year. This event will be a landmark step demonstrating Russia's ability not only to design and build modern airliners, but also to make them entirely from its own components, eliminating dependence on Western suppliers.

The Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Anton Alikhanov recently said that the PD-21 engine for the MS-14 is already ready and certified, and certification flights with this engine will begin very soon.




– he said in an interview with the Russia 24 TV channel.

Initially, deliveries of the MS-21 to airlines were supposed to start in 2022, but Western sanctions made their own adjustments. The delays are primarily due to the need for complete import substitution of all units and assemblies, including composite materials, which required additional testing and certification. After successful completion of these procedures, the aircraft will be handed over to customers.

Testing of domestic components continues

Each new system installed on the aircraft undergoes rigorous testing, including thousands of hours in the air. The final stage of certification of the fully domestic MS-21 is planned to be completed in 2025, after which the first 10 produced aircraft will enter service.

In parallel, short-haul SSJ-100s equipped with PD-8 engines are also being prepared for flights. If a domestic engine was designed for the MS-21 from the very beginning, then for the Superjet this is a new task associated with large volumes of import substitution. Nevertheless, key technical problems have already been solved, and testing of the PD-8 on a flying laboratory will soon begin. Next year, the engine is planned to be tested on the aircraft itself.

Long-term plans: wide-body aircraft

As part of the strategic development of Russian aviation, work is underway to create a high-thrust engine PD-35, designed for wide-body airliners. It is expected that this project will be fully implemented in the next decade. The main difficulties are associated with the development of new materials and of technologies.


Work in this direction is already actively underway, and funding is partially included in the budget. At the same time, the need for such aircraft is relatively small: for every 100 wide-body aircraft there are about 500 narrow-body aircraft, that is, approximately 1 to 5.

Production capabilities and market prospects

To date, 10 serial MC-21 aircraft have been produced in Russia, but their delivery to airlines is postponed until certification is completed. The factories are capable of producing up to 36 aircraft per year, but it will take at least three to four years to reach this volume. If demand increases, production capacity in Irkutsk can be expanded to 80 aircraft annually.

The situation with the Superjet looks somewhat more complicated, since the airliner initially consisted almost entirely of imported components. The MS-21, on the contrary, included up to 50% of domestic components from the very beginning, which accelerated the import substitution process.

Competition and independence

Creating its own line of aircraft of different classes is not only a matter of prestige, but also a vital task for Russia. The world is dominated by American Boeing and European Airbus, while Chinese developments such as the Comac C919, although they look competitive, still largely depend on the import of Western technology. If sanctions are imposed on China, their aviation industry will be paralyzed due to the lack of domestic aircraft engines.

The Russian Federation, having its own technological base, seeks not only to overcome the pressure of sanctions, but also to ensure long-term independence. The MS-21 and SSJ-100 are steps towards creating a sustainable and fully autonomous aviation industry.