By the end of the year, the Russian MS-21 passenger aircraft is to make its first flight on the promising PD-14 turbojet engines. This was announced by the General Director of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Yuri Slyusar during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“And the last event we have this year is the departure of the MS-21 with our domestic PD-14. We must complete the work by the end of the year. In Irkutsk, the engines have already been installed on the aircraft, now they are undergoing the necessary tests, and, in fact, the new MC-21 aircraft with the newest certified PD-14 engine will rise, "- Slyusar.

Currently, the MC-21 is at the testing stage at the Irkut corporation. The Siberian company plans to produce the aircraft in two modifications: for 163-211 seats and 132-165 seats, respectively.

On the first samples of the liner, before the appearance of the serial PD-14, it was planned to install the PW1400G power units of the American company Pratt & Whitney. It was with these engines that the MC-21 prototype made its first demonstration flight in May 2017.

PD-14 was delivered to the Irkutsk Aviation Plant in January 2020. In July, the technological installation of the units for the MC-21-310 prototype was completed. As explained in "Rostec", which is a member of the UAC, this "fitting" will make it possible to make "improvement adjustments to the structural elements of the engine and airframe."

“At the first stage, the development of PD-14 will make it possible to relieve the MS-21 of dependence on the part of Pratt & Whitney. This is very important for the promotion of our aircraft both in the domestic and foreign markets. But if the customer still wants an American unit, I don’t think there will be any problems here, ”Major General Vladimir Popov, Honored Pilot of the Russian Federation, said in a RT commentary.

  • Russian medium-range passenger aircraft MC-21-300
  • © Vladimir Astapkovich / RIA Novosti

Oleg Panteleev, executive director of the Aviaport agency, shares a similar point of view. In an interview with RT, the expert noted that the development of the PD-14 will allow not only promoting the MS-21 on the market, but will also become a prologue to the emergence of a wide range of modern power plants of various types.

“The investments that went into the PD-14 program make it possible to create a whole line of commercial products that will be used in civil, military transport aviation, in the energy sector and in the oil and gas complex,” Panteleev emphasized.

Completely Russian

PD-14 is the first turbofan aircraft engine created in Russia since the times of the USSR. Its development began in 2006. Six years later, ground tests started, in 2015 - flight tests. In 2018, the power unit received a certificate from the Federal Air Transport Agency confirming the readiness of the product for serial production and operation.

As the experts explained, the creation of any new turbofan aircraft engine is an extremely time-consuming task that requires the involvement of a significant amount of human, production and financial resources. Such a power unit is often developed longer than its carrier.

For example, according to Rostec, only four countries have developed competencies in the field of aircraft engine building and after-sales service. In addition to Russia, these are the United States, Great Britain and France. Moreover, each of these countries is attentive to the protection of their technological achievements.

“PD-14 is the first civilian engine for long-haul aircraft after the collapse of the USSR. The entire scientific and technical backlog is entirely Russian. When creating this engine, no prototypes created during the Soviet era were used. This project is very complicated, but the United Engine Corporation (UEC), apparently, was able to establish cooperation, ”Oleg Panteleev emphasized.

A wide range of domestic factories and scientific organizations are involved in the creation of PD-14. For example, JSC "UEC - Perm Motors" is the head manufacturer of the unit, and more than 30% of PD-14 components are produced at the facilities of PJSC "UEC-UMPO" (Ufa).

Another Perm company, UEC-STAR, is a developer and manufacturer of an automatic engine control system. This product consists of an electronic regulator, a first manifold shutoff valve, a hydromechanical part (fuel metering unit), pump units and a power unit protection.

  • Motorcycle nacelle PD-14
  • © rostec.ru

An important role in the creation of PD-14 was played by the Moscow FSUE "VIAM". The Metropolitan Institute has developed 20 new generation materials for the production of the engine, including its nacelle. The company's products provide a number of key advantages of the new domestic aircraft engine.

“The use of innovative products of VIAM materials scientists in the design of the PD-14 engine provides not only reliability, but also high performance characteristics of the PD-14, making it competitive in the world market,” the company's website says.

Research and Production Enterprise "Tekhnologiya" (Obninsk) made its contribution to the creation of new materials for the newest Russian engine. As part of the Import Substitution program, a company from the Kaluga Region produces sound-absorbing structures and burn-in panels from composites, which ensure the safe operation of the fan blades of the power unit.

In total, Russian scientists have developed and implemented 16 key technologies in PD-14. In particular, according to Rostec, the turbine blades were made "from 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 )."

The advantages of PD-14 include economical fuel consumption, environmental friendliness and efficiency. It is assumed that the operating costs of the engine will be 14-17% lower than that of existing analogues, and the life cycle cost will be 15-20% lower, Rostec points out.

According to experts, in terms of the aggregate qualities of the PD-14, it is not inferior to the best Western models, and if all tests are successfully completed and large-scale serial production is established, the Russian engine will have a very competitive price for the world market.

Currently, Russia is already preparing for the deployment of serial production of the PD-14. So, in July, a Data Processing Center was opened at Perm Motors after pilot operation. According to the company's management, this event is of great importance for the subsequent establishment of the production of the latest engines.

"Solve strategic tasks"

On the basis of the technological solutions implemented in the PD-14, Russian enterprises are planning to create a whole family of aircraft engines. Its various variations are planned to be installed on the MS-21 modifications, and the Sukhoi Superjet 100, Sukhoi Superjet 75, An-148, Tu-334, Be-200 will be able to fly on the PD-8 model with a reduced thrust.

According to Rostec, it will be possible to mount a PD-18 engine with a thrust of 18-20 tons on larger domestic civil aircraft - the Il-96 and Tu-204.

“The scope of application of the engines of the PD family will not be limited to aircraft. Turbojet engines based on a single gas generator can be used for industrial purposes as part of power generating and gas pumping units, ”the state corporation said.

The most powerful representative of the family of domestic engines should be the PD-35 model with a thrust of about 35 tons, which is created on the basis of the PD-14 gas generator for the grandiose Russian-Chinese project CR929. This is a long-range aircraft, which is jointly developed by the UAC and the COMAC company (Shanghai).

  • Full-size mock-up of the nose of the Russian-Chinese CR929 aircraft
  • © UAC

The first deliveries of this liner may begin in 2025-2027. However, Rostec notes that by this time the PD-35 is unlikely to be fully ready. Most likely, the Russian engine will be mounted on later production samples of the CR929, since the development work on the unit should be completed in 2027.

As Vladimir Popov noted, with the development of a family of engines of the PD-14 type, Russia will have the opportunity, without fear of Western sanctions, to progressively develop the high-tech sector of the economy, its own civil aviation and increase export supplies of aircraft.

“It is difficult to overestimate the importance of technological and industrial independence in the field of aircraft engine building for our country. It allows us to solve such strategic tasks as loading the real sector of the economy, employing engineers, developing, selling and servicing new aircraft, ”concluded Popov.