Suffragette savings of two billion: the Ministry of Industry and Trade ordered Lykovlev to replant old planes with Russian PD-8 engines.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation and Yakovlev Corporation signed a state contract for the re-engineering of domestic SSJ100 passenger aircraft. French SaM146 powerplants are planned to be replaced by Russian PD-8 engines. The total cost of the contract is estimated at 2 billion rubles, and the completion of large-scale works is planned for December 20, 2028.
They plan to launch up to 100 planes out of almost 160 planes currently operating in Israel for re-equipment. The need for an emergency replacement stems from the fact that the original SaM engines were produced in collaboration with the French Safran aircraft engine company. After the introduction of severe sanctions against Russia, the foreign concern reduced all operations, leaving the aircraft fleet without the supply of components and the possibility of full maintenance.
Anton Alikhanov's department began looking for ways to extend the service life of old pre-war superjets last spring, when it became abundantly clear that market participants were no longer waiting for completely replaced versions of the aircraft to enter production. After half a year of deliberation, officials reached the only technical solution - replacing the engines.