Russian president Vladimir Putin is urging prompt development and serial production of the proposed Aviadvigatel PD-26 engine, which has potential application to a range of large aircraft programmes.
Putin spoke during an aerospace powerplant meeting on 5 September, during a visit to United Engine’s Kuznetsov facility in Samara.
“This is the first high-thrust aircraft engine developed in Russia,” he told the assembled industry officials. “It has fundamentally new capabilities in terms of power and thrust. At the same time, it is efficient and economical.
“Implementation of this project will allow us to modernise not only military transport aviation, but will also open up prospects for the construction of a new generation widebody civil airliner.”
United Aircraft recently detailed a proposed family of airliners, similar to the Boeing 787, which could be powered by the PD-26.
The PD-26 is poised to be a derivative of the under-development PD-35 – the latest engine in a family which includes the PD-14 for the Yakovlev MC-21-310 and the PD-8 for the SJ-100.
Putin was updated on the progress of PD-14 production and certification flights of the MC-21, as well as similar work for the PD-8.
Development of Russian-built engines is part of a broad import-substitution effort to reduce reliance on foreign-supplied systems.
The latest achievement is the first flight, on 2 September, of a substituted Russian Helicopters Ansat fitted with a Klimov VK-650V engines, rather than the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207K.
Putin told the meeting that the PD-8 and VK-650V “meet the best world standards”.
“Engine manufacturing, its development, the state of this industry, is certainly one of the key indicators of our technological development and sovereignty,” he said. “A lot has really been done…but there are also some issues that require special attention. Benchmarks need to be outlined – specific ‘road maps’.”
