Tupolev has lifted into the air, after restoring airworthiness, a Tu-214 aircraft designated as a "flying laboratory" for testing import-substituted parts of all Tu-214s. It will undergo painting and a complete replacement of imported components, parts, and systems with domestic ones. The new "innards" will be tested on it until the end of the year.
It is noted that the aircraft will also be used "for modernization and further development of the Tu-214 platform". Its first flight was successful.
The flight lasted 1.5 hours, including at an altitude of 10,000 meters. The necessary checks of all systems and onboard equipment were performed. According to the crew, the flight proceeded normally, and the systems and equipment operated without any issues.
Earlier, Russian aircraft manufacturers had already begun flight tests of one of the import-substituted SJ-100 aircraft before its certification. Everything in it is Russian, except for the engine.
To accelerate the certification program, the first prototype aircraft is performing flights with Franco-Russian SaM-146 engines. The other two SJ-100 prototypes will be completely domestic. They will take to the air and join the tests when the PD-8 engine is approved for flight.
Read more on the topic:
Russian Il-96, Tu-214, and Be-200 to Receive Domestic Navigation Sensors
"One and a Half Aircraft." How Tu-214 Production is Reaching New Capacities
The Russian Tu-214 Airliner Will Have Cargo, Short, and Special Versions
