In 2026, Russian aviation will finally enter a new stage — fully import-substituted MC-21-310, Superjet-100, and regional Il-114-300 aircraft will take to the skies. Industry experts are confident that the production of dozens of new aircraft will compensate for the departure of foreign aircraft.
The creation of several types of promising civil aircraft is entering the home stretch.
Gaining Speed on the Runway
By the end of the decade, two more new aircraft will be added to them — the 44-seat Ladoga and the 19-seat Osvey. This will completely cover the needs of regional airlines in a fleet of Russian aircraft, said Oleg Panteleev, Executive Director of the AviaPort agency.
Given that UAC already has a considerable production backlog for the MC-21 and Superjet, it can be confidently asserted that after certification, it will be possible to transfer several dozen aircraft to airlines in a short time. This will partially compensate for the retirement of foreign-made aircraft.
Import Substitution in Action
The main focus of domestic aviation is the complete abandonment of foreign components. According to Panteleev, the MC-21 aircraft has been flying with the Russian PD-14 engine and a wing made of domestic composite materials for several years.
Now, the complete and irreversible replacement of foreign systems and units, the number of which is measured in dozens, is in the final stage.
The aviation industry, UAC, and component suppliers are approaching the start of flight tests of a fully import-substituted aircraft.
Revival of Regional Aviation
The problem with the retirement of old regional aircraft from the Soviet period will be solved by the Il-114-300 — a compact turboprop aircraft adapted for difficult climatic conditions. Its entry into service should ease the burden on the aircraft fleet in the regions.
Thus, in the next two years, Russia will effectively create its own line of civil aircraft — from local to mainline routes.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that ODK has accelerated the welding of parts for PD-8 and PD-14 engines by 10 times.
