Moscow, Mar 17 (UNI) Russian aircraft Superjet made its first flight with Russian engine PD-8 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, thus beginning flight tests of the engine as part of the aircraft, state corporation Rostec said.

"The prototype of the Superjet aircraft made its first flight with domestic PD-8 engines. It took place in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and marked the beginning of flight tests of the PD-8 as part of the Superjet. The flight was performed by a crew consisting of test pilots Dmitry Aleksandrovich Demenev, Igor Yuryevich Grevtsev and flight operator Maxim Grigoryevich Grukanov. The aircraft was in the air for about 40 minutes, reached a speed of 500 kilometers per hour and an altitude of up to 3,000 meters," Rostec noted.

After landing, the crew commander reported that the flight task had been completed in full. The power plant with PD-8 engines showcased stable operation; the gas-dynamic stability of the engines in constant and variable modes was assessed during the flight. Work on the Superjet import substitution program is being carried out by a large cooperation of enterprises under the auspices of the Yakovlev company (part of the United Aircraft Corporation, UAC). The new Russian engines were created by specialists of the United Engine Corporation (UEC).

"There is still a lot of work and a lot of flights ahead. In April, another fully Russian aircraft with PD-8 engines will join the certification flight tests," Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov said.

The UEC plans to transfer two more PD-8 experimental engines for flight tests by the end of March, and the type certificate for the Russian engine is expected to be received in the fall of this year, UEC CEO Alexander Grachev said.

The PD-8 bypass turbofan engine with a thrust of 8 tonnes for the Superjet passenger aircraft and the Be-200 amphibious aircraft was created using new Russian materials and advanced technologies.

UNI SPUTNIK ARN