Superjet 100 / Russian Regional Jet - RRJ

The trouble with the SSJ-100 is that it was declared the first Russian aircraft and should correspond to its high status. But in fact, the liner is -7080 percent of imported components. Aviation news website Flightglobal wrote in 2015 that the Superjet 100 had in many ways "achieved what its creators set out to do. It is a five-abreast, 100-seat aircraft with reasonable economics that stands apart from rivals in terms of cabin width and comfort." In 2018, Russia's Aeroflot airlines ordered 100 of the planes. But possible problems with the plane's engines later resurfaced.

The plane, despite the huge costs and the delay in launching the series for a good 5 years, came out extremely “raw”, with a completely unresolved service (it has to wait for months for spare parts from the West). The average time of its use is 3.3 hours a day, almost three times less than the minimum usage time of western counterparts. The plane, mainly consisting of imported parts, is unreliable and unprofitable. It is not for nothing that foreign buyers refuse it, and Aeroflot uses it under duress.

Kremlin propaganda filed the "Superjet" as something breakthrough, as a showcase of success in Russia "raising from its knees." In fact, it was a mistake to decide not to develope the Tu-334 plane developed by competent Soviet personnel of the Tupolev Design Bureau and ready to launch into the series as early as 2003. Instead, the government gave the design to a design bureau which does not have the slightest experience in creating passenger planes. When it comes to something technically complex, for critics the Russian camarilla fails in disgrace. Skeptics see everything that does not concern the extraction of raw materials and the organization of propaganda performances (brainwashing propaganda), too often fails. As with the current "incomparable weapons" - how many real failures are there, how many of those shown in cartoons are simply a bluff.

The SuperJet-100 project is a family of medium-haul passenger aircraft developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau in cooperation with major U.S. and European aviation corporations, including Boeing, Snecma, Thales, Messier Dowty, Liebherr Aerospace and Honeywell. SSJ100's airframe parts are manufactured at production facilities located in Komsomolsk-on-Amur (KnAAPO) and Novosibirsk (NAPO), while the technologically advanced production site in Voronezh (VASO) provides aircraft parts made of composite materials. SCAC's branch in Komsomolsk-on-Amur is responsible for final assembly, flight tests, aircraft acceptance and delivery center operation.

• SSJ-60/60LR - 55-60 passengers
• SSJ-75/75LR - 75-80 passengers;
• SSJ-95/95LR - 90 to 100 passengers.
• SSJ-110 - 110 passengers
• SSJ-130 - 130 passengers

Russian security services insisted that government customers should not use aircraft with components supplied by NATO-member countries, it was expected that the presidential flight wing, the special-purpose Rossiya flight detachment, and the Russian Ministry of Defence would be likely customers for the Russianised SSJ75, taking 10 aircraft (to replace the outdated Tu-134s and Yak-40s) and 35 aircraft accordingly.

Although Superjet was initially designed as an aircraft family seating 60 to 95 passengers, the initial 73-order backlog from mostly Russian airlines and leasing companies involves only the largest 95-seat version. It appeared that Russian carriers want a larger plane to replace their aging fleet of Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-154 airliners.

By April 2019 United Aircraft Corporation postponed the creation of the Superjet 75 (SSJ75), the shortened 75-seat version of the baseline 100-seater regional passenger jet. Instead, UAC is giving its fullest attention to the maximum replacement of the current aircraft’s foreign-made components. Delay to the SSJ75 development poses a threat to the loyalty of S7 Airlines, the project’s largest commercial customer, which could instead turn to similar size western-built aircraft types. S7 may now instead opt for Embraer and Bombardier aircraft.

Russian aircraft-building majors Irkut and Sukhoi agreed on dividing the market of medium-range airliners. They will jointly provide the United Aircraft Building Corporation (UABC) with advanced airliners of the most popular size - those with 96, 110, 130, 150, 180 and 210 seats representing all types of the so-called narrow-body aircraft. At present, the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 are dominating this market. Irkut will take on the MS-21 family with over 150 seats. And Sukhoi, in addition to the first-generation 96-seated Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ-100), will design two second-generation aircraft - the SSJ-110 and SSJ-130 carrying 110 and 130 passengers, respectively. This is in return for Irkut's refusal from the 130-seated MS-21-100 and its raising the capacity of the MS-21-300 medium version up to 180 passengers. Sukhoi will provide the MS-21 an all-composite wing basing on its SSJ-110/130 solutions.

Avionics for the Russian plane were received from the French Thales. The flight control system is produced with the participation of the German Liebherr, and the chassis with the French Safran. The fire protection system, hydraulics, electricity supply and fuel system are also foreign. Even the interior parts of the cabin, passenger seats, portholes, space for pilots, passenger and cargo doors are not manufactured in Russia. In fact, domestic manufacturers only create elements of the fuselage and tail, and the "Gagarin Plant" carries out the final assembly.

Dependence on foreign supplies regularly provokes a shortage of parts for the Sukhoi Superjet 100. If the customers of the Boeing and Airbus aircraft most of the necessary parts arrive within a few hours, then deliveries from Sukhoi Civil Aircraft have to wait for weeks. Because of this, Russian aircraft fly a little. There are several reasons for this state of affairs, starting from the lack of service centers for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 and ending with the fact that the Gagarin Plant gives priority to the production of military aircraft and not civilian aircraft.

Sukhoi Superjet 100 is a new aircraft family allowing its passengers to experience the mainline level of comfort. The fuselage cross-section increases the aisle width up to 20.08", offering optimal aisle height combined with five-abreast seat configuration. The height of the ceiling totals 83.46", while each seat is 18.31" wide. The four-abreast seat configuration results in a true business class providing every passenger with the equal level of comfort. The passengers enjoy easy and comfortable access to overhead bins which comfortably swallow standard roll-aboard bags (IATA approved hand luggage; maximum 24"x16"x10"). SSJ100's spacious overhead bins can be perfectly suited for outer garments and coats (from raincoats to Alaska coats) regardless of the season or region.

The leading-edge technologies, being the core ingredient of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 Project, penetrate its every stage - from design and development to final assembly, delivering a modern, economically efficient and globally marketable aircraft. SSJ100 is easy and safe to pilot. The cockpit design features a "passive" side stick and "active" engine control levers. The Human Centered Design concept perfectly arranges the control levers and on-board equipment. SSJ100 can be landed by one pilot only. Dark and Quiet Cockpit offers precise, convenient and reliable piloting of Sukhoi Superjet 100.

Optimal piloting in automated mode together with the failure-safe flight control system ensure additional fuel efficiency and improve flight safety. The remote control system (RCS) is based upon three two-channel upper level computers (PFCU - Primary Flight Actuator Control Unit) adding two-channel lower level computers (ACE - Actuator Control Electronics). PFCU's process command signals coming from the cockpit, autopilot and avionics. Besides, it optimizes piloting performance in all flight modes. The unsurpassed functionality of PFCU results from Sukhoi Design Bureau's experience in development of FBW systems with automatic limitation of ultimate and operational flight parameters in manual and automatic control modes. Solid reliability of the aircraft systems and pilot induced failure proof functionality increase flight safety. Sukhoi Superjet 100 is sure to become the first regional aircraft, enjoying such advanced control system features. In case of in-flight system failures, the RCS switches to the standby control circuit offering piloting characteristics similar to those of manual flight mode.

Sukhoi Superjet 100 features fully electronic fly-by-wire control system for piloting, landing gear extension and retraction, and a break system to prove its high maintainability and weight perfection. Sukhoi Superjet 100 failure-safe FBW architecture means no more mechanical redundancy. The horizontal stabilizer is also controlled by fly-by-wire, leading to stabilizer optimal size and reduction of aerodynamic and trim resistance. Sukhoi Superjet 100 is algorithmically protected against tail/runway collision induced by pilot. The THALES designed avionics open architecture is based on the integrated modular technology. This helped to decrease the number of structure modules by 15% and to facilitate maintenance procedures.

Sukhoi Superjet 100 is equipped with the built-in failure detection system able to find any failure including those at the LRU level of any major aircraft system. Moreover, the basic configuration of avionics offers wider functionality, including triple ultra-short-wave communication system with ACARS function, the second generation T2CAS system designed to prevent collision as well as the IIIA ICAO category approach capabilities.

Each aircraft is powered by the new SaM146 engine developed by PowerJet to meet the highest performance and eco requirements. Snecma Moteurs and NPO Saturn?s distinct experience and perfect synergy produced a hi-tech result by applying the CFM56 & Tech56 technologies when creating an engine distinguished for its excellent performance. A strong focus was put on engine maintainability. Now the blades can be replaced with engine on the wing. Owing to the new modular design, the engine employs 20% less parts, which significantly streamlines maintenance operations.

The double-bubble fuselage expanded "life space" for each passenger up to 0.885 m3 and increased the height of the cargo compartment up to 1014 mm. The new technologies introduced at SCAC's production sites are: automatic riveting and high-speed part machining, information environment, embracing design, production and supply into common environment, airframe jigless assembly with laser positioning, manufacturing of wing panel and wing coupling to the fuselage with no manual adjustment.

In November 2018 Irkut Corporation, producer of the country’s MC-21 advanced airliner, has been handed full control of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC), manufacturer of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) regional jet, after receiving all of SCAC’s shares. SCAC was previously fully owned by Sukhoi Company and the change of ownership is part of an overall plan to create a fully-fledged, autonomous commercial aviation division under the auspices of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) parent company.

On 09 May 2012, a demonstration flight in Indonesia struck a mountain, killing all 45 people on board, in a crash Indonesia blamed on pilot error. The Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ-100) passenger jet slammed into the side of Indonesia’s Mount Salak shortly after take-off. The aircraft hit steep ground at an altitude of 5,200 feet (1,600 meters) on near Jakarta during a demonstration flight. Eight of those on board were Russian, including the flight crew. A preliminary examination of the flight recorder from the aircraft showed that all the systems were functioning properly up until impact, with the Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) switched on. The pilots may have turned off the alert system in order to speak with the passengers or show them around the cabin. One expert said the pilots may have "stopped taking notice" of the alert system as it is "nearly always on" in mountainious regions.

A Sukhoi Superjet 100 burst into flame as it touched ground at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on Sunday 05 May 2019. The Murmansk-bound Sukhoi Superjet, flight SU1492, carrying a crew of six and 73 passengers took off at 2:50 pm GMT from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport. Shortly after takeoff, the crew sent a distress signal to air traffic control, saying the plane had some technical issues and required the emergency landing. The plane quickly returned to Moscow after one of the aircraft engines caught fire, and landed trailing smoke and fire. Flightradar24 tracking service showed that the aircraft made two circles around Moscow and landed after flying for about 45 minutes. The crew of the emergency Superjet was forced to land without dropping fuel, because the connection with the dispatchers was completely lost. Pilot Denis Evdokimov was quoted in Russian media Monday as saying that "because of lightning, we had a loss of radio communication." The pilot did not specify whether the plane was struck directly. The plane caught fire after a hard emergency landing. A total of 41 people on board died in the crash-landing. The 37 survivors comprised 33 passengers and four members of the crew. "The aircraft MSN 95135 was produced in August 2017. It was under scheduled maintenance in the beginning of April 2019. Representatives of the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company, the manufacturer of the aircraft, are part of the commission conducting the investigation", Sukhoi Civil Aircraft said in a statement. This is the second fatal accident involving the SSJ100, which is widely used in Russia.

A preliminary analysis of black box data in general did not contradict the explanations given by the crew. Indeed, in the eighth minute of the flight, the on-board electronics disconnected, after which the computer control system of the aircraft did not work. The crew operated the aircraft in manual mode. This means that the movements of the joystick (control stick) were transmitted to the control electric motors directly, and not through the on-board computer. In fact, the aircraft maintained control until the end.

Specialists and designers in the field of fighter aviation undertook to design the aircraft, where the requirements for the resource of the airframe and aircraft systems are completely different than in the civilian aircraft industry. The fighter is required to get a couple of thousand hours of flight, from the airliner - 70 thousand. The creators of "Superjet" not only guaranteed exactly 70 thousand flight hours, but also promised to bring the resource to 90 thousand. They lie all the time.