Russia’s plan to replace Airbus and Boeing aircraft with homegrown versions of its own designs has been delayed at least a year according to the Moscow Times, as translated by the Kyiv Post. Last year President Vladimir Putin ordered the country’s aviation industry to build at least 1,000 domestic route airliners a year by 2030 and that was supposed to start ramping up this year. The aircraft targeted are the Yakolev MS-21, a 737/A320-sized single aisle, the Sukhoi Superjet 100, which is like an Embraer 195, and the Il-114 turboprop regional airliner.
All three companies now say they can’t begin building the planes until 2025 or 2026 and Sergei Chemezov didn’t mince words about why trying to rush the project is a bad idea. “Tests are not yet completed. As soon as we complete the tests, we will immediately see the results,” he said. “We are still worried about the safety of all of us—we will fly on these planes.”
The big issue is that all the aircraft were designed to use engines, avionics and other parts made in the West. Sanctions resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine have cut off the supply of those items, along with the parts needed to keep the Airbuses and Boeings in the air. So the Russian manufacturers have the daunting task of developing their own versions of those sophisticated components and they’re not having much luck.
“Companies are faced with objective limitations—completely new systems, recreating competencies from scratch, the need for full testing and launching mass production under time pressure,” a spokesman for United Aircraft Corporation told the Moscow Times. Even the government seems to be complaining about the “unprecedented” schedule. “All global aircraft manufacturers rely on broad international cooperation, suppliers from several dozen countries. Russia will have to cope on its own,” the Ministry of Industry and Trade spokesperson said.
Even if they manage to get some aircraft off the line in the next couple of years, at least one, the MS-21, might not live up to its original billing. The plane was supposed to have a range of about 3,100 miles and that has slipped to 2,200 miles. More troubling, however, is the drastic reduction in the MS-21’s seating capacity from 211 to 135. It would appear the issue is the substitution of Russian-made engines for the PW1400s with which it was originally built.
Russ, you likely did not expect wadded up panties by DEI trolls commenting on your legitimate headline which reads: “Russia’s Replacement Airliner Program Already Slipping”. The reality is that the DEI trolls are here to stay regardless of content un less AvWeb hits the delete button on these types of comments to legitimate aviation stories. For serious minded readers and commenters it’s becoming an embeither that or sayonara.
Your brain is rotting.
Avweb used to be cool. Not sure when it was over run by FAGA weirdos.
It’s becoming an embarrassment is either delete the trolls or sayonara.
I do my best but some will get past me. Seems like it should be easy enough to ignore them but I get that they’re irritating.
I enjoy the Trolls, don’t delete but name and shame
No way Russia is going to be building significant numbers of airliners that are all Russian anytime soon. It is interesting that apparently the Russian government is negotiating with the lessors who owned some of the stolen Airbus and Boeing planes to pay for them. I guess they are hoping that they will get access to Western airframes again. I sure hope the response involved an invitation to partake in sex and travel for the Russian delegation….
I’m surprised there is no mention of China. I would think China is more than willing to help Russia.
I’m sure China will help Russia out where they can, but they would have to tread carefully. Their Comac aircraft relies pretty heavily on Western suppliers too, so I’m not sure what China could do to help Russia anyway.
No surprises here. Russia shot themselves in the foot a dozen times over, relying on foreign components, engines, avionics etc. etc. Certainly not helped by them stealing all the leased aircraft!
I enjoy the Trolls, don’t delete but name and shame
By the way, avionics no problem, can sell them a perfectly good dynon 180 and a not so good Apollo gx
Wondering if anyone else noticed the wording of Chemezov the spokesperson – “We are still worried about the safety of all of us—we will fly on these planes.”
We are STILL worried about safety. Did I read that correctly, that even before there was a problem with not having western engines, they were worried about the safety of the aircraft? Russian equipment has never been revered for it’s craftmanship even under normal circumstances. Seems like Putin pushing an unrealistic goal of getting thousands of aircraft in the air under a tight timeframe had the engineers worried about safety. Now add Russian engines, this guy sounds nervous.
Those “things” called russian (no capital r intended) don’t even have nerves or feelings. How can they have been nervous?
Jim Kabrajee – Yeah, that spokesperson should probably keep away from open windows.
What’s all the verbiage about DEI trolls? I don’t see anything in the piece relating so such “trolls.” It was about Russian problems ginning up their own airiiner industry, that’s it.
Apparently, jetjock64, you did not get the memo 😊The provovative comments were deleted at the request of John Kliewer. Good riddance.