The imported SJ-100 airliner will be standardly equipped with aerodynamic wingtips. The chief designer of the Superjet program, Vladimir Lavrov, spoke about this on the air of the “Military Acceptance” program on the Zvezda TV channel.

“This was not the case on the first planes. The winglets were born as a result of work to improve the design of the original aircraft,” he noted.

As follows from the Military Acceptance materials, the new winglets have a saber shape, which reduces fuel consumption by 4%. The executive director of the AviaPort agency, Oleg Panteleev, in a conversation with RT, explained that previously such elements were used optionally on the Superjet, but now they are included in the basic equipment of the aircraft.

“The use of such a wing design allows us to improve the takeoff and landing characteristics of the machine. This solution allows you to achieve the greatest fuel savings on long-distance routes,” the analyst said.

According to Roman Gusarov, editor-in-chief of the Avia.ru portal, such winglets, also called winglets or winglets, reduce fuel consumption by smoothing out vortex flows at the ends of the wing.

“4% savings is a lot on an aviation scale, taking into account the cost of the entire flight. A flight costs a lot of money, and if we project these savings over a year of operation of the machine, we will get a lot of money,” the specialist explained in a commentary to RT.

  • The cabin of the Sukhoi Superjet 100

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  • © Kirill Kallinikov

As the chief designer of the Superjet program clarified, the wingtip is made of composite materials. The fairings, control surfaces and landing gear doors also became composite. At the same time, the developers decided to leave the wing metal, like the original model. According to the designer, this solution was the most appropriate.

“The use of composite materials is a rather complex process from the point of view of maximum effect and maximum feasibility. The size of our aircraft is such that it is most optimal to use a traditional wing design,” explained Vladimir Lavrov.

In addition to the introduction of winglets, the SJ-100 will have an increased wingspan. In addition to this, the updated airliner will replace the foreign wing mechanization system with a Russian analogue from PJSC MIEA, according to the material of TC Zvezda.

142 aircraft by 2030

Let us remind you that serial deliveries of the original Superjet to airlines began in 2011. The aircraft was designed in Russia, but a significant part of its components were imported. The “Military Acceptance” material notes that not only avionics and engines were produced abroad, but also the armored cockpit door, heat and noise insulation, instrument panel buttons and aircraft doors.

Now these and many other parts will be supplied by Russian companies. New production facilities have been launched to produce some components. In total, more than 1 thousand enterprises are involved in the creation of the modernized SJ-100.

The “brain” of the updated airliner is also being produced in Russia - the general aircraft equipment control system (CAOSO). This device is designed, in particular, to collect information from various aircraft sensors and instruments, as well as to automatically control the associated systems of the aircraft at all stages of flight. The creation of the control system for the SJ-100 is being carried out by the Ulyanovsk Instrument Engineering Design Bureau (part of the Radioelectronic Technologies concern of the Rostec state corporation).

Instead of the Russian-French SaM146 engines that were installed on the original Superjet, the new version will use entirely Russian PD-8s. Currently, their testing continues at the United Engine Corporation (UEC). As emphasized in the Military Acceptance report, the new power plant will have more thrust than the SaM146, while consuming less fuel.

It is worth noting that at the end of 2023, the Federal Air Transport Agency approved the design of the new airframe of the SJ-100 aircraft. As Andrei Boginsky, General Director of Yakovlev PJSC, told TC Zvezda, it is planned to complete testing of the import-substituted airliner next year.

“The most important thing for us is to carry out all types of tests. Our task is to complete these tests by the end of 2025, if everything goes as normal,” he said.

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  • © Evgeniy Biyatov

In turn, Andrey Soynov, director of the production center of Yakovlev PJSC, said that by 2030 it is planned to produce 142 SJ-100 aircraft.

“Our goal for a comprehensive aircraft manufacturing development program is to build 142 aircraft by 2030... The immediate goal is to produce 20 aircraft per year,” he said.

As Andrei Boginsky emphasized on the air of TK Zvezda, the new airliner will become a platform that will further develop over several decades.

“If you look at foreign analogues, this is not the first modernization of Boeing aircraft; the same is true for Airbus aircraft. Therefore, our Superjet platform has potential for future upgrades - this is 30-40, maybe even 50 years,” concluded the CEO of Yakovlev PJSC.

“Structurally successful platform”

According to Roman Gusarov, updating the Superjet is not just about replacing foreign components with Russian ones - the developers are thoroughly reworking the entire structure of the aircraft.

“A deep redesign of the aircraft design and its components is being carried out. The aircraft was developed in the 2000s, a lot of time has passed, technology has moved forward. Reproducing the same technologies would not be the best solution. The most effective option is to saturate the aircraft with more modern components, which is what is happening now,” the expert said.

  • Sukhoi Superjet 100 airliner at a flight rehearsal

  • © Alexey Mayshev

As a result of the update, the result will be “not an import-substituted copy of the original Superjet, but a new generation aircraft,” Gusarov added.

“This will be a very seriously redesigned modification of the Superjet 100. All world manufacturers are actually following this path. If we, for example, take the same Boeing-737, then it was originally a design back in the 1960s. Since then, they have not created a new aircraft, but have constantly modernized the old one, filling it with new components,” the expert said.

In turn, Oleg Panteleev noted that all the main parameters that affect flight safety, as well as determine the economy and operation of the Superjet, remained the same.

“For some positions, the designers were even tasked with making sure that the changes were minimal from an operational point of view. But it is obvious that for the flight and engineering personnel this will be largely a new aircraft,” the analyst said.

Experts believe that the prospect of operating the SJ-100 platform for 40-50 years looks quite realistic.

“We also have beautiful Soviet aircraft that are still flying and are over 40 years old. I have already spoken about the Boeing-737. And the SJ-100 itself is an example of this approach. We are approaching the 15th anniversary of the Superjet. The moment has come for the release of its new modification, which will be absolutely modern. So 30, 40 or 50 years is really a normal period for the development of a structurally successful platform,” summed up Roman Gusarov.