The development of a new Russian super-heavy transport aircraft to replace the An-124 "Ruslan" will begin no earlier than 2030. This was stated on the radio station "Govorit Moskva" by Andrey Velichko, head of the portal "Aviatsiya Rossii".
According to him, work on long-haul aviation is not yet a priority, partly due to the lack of a certified engine. Simultaneously with the wide-body aircraft, work will be carried out on a large transport cargo aircraft, which should replace the An-124. However, these programs will develop after the completion of passenger medium-haul programs - after 2030.
As soon as we have PD-26, PD-35, when they are certified, then we can talk about making a long-haul aircraft. To make the airframe itself, taking into account the experience of MS-21, SSJ, all the electronics, the filling - this is not a big problem. Now there are neither funds, nor money, nor people for this.
He also emphasized that Russia needs its own long-haul aircraft, despite the fact that Russian airlines continue to operate Boeing and Airbus on routes to Chukotka and the Far East.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov stated that the development of a replacement for the An-124 was included in the state armaments program until 2027. At the same time, he noted that there is no need to create an analogue of "Ruslan" soon, since the fleet of existing aircraft, with modernization and replacement of D-18 engines with Russian PD-35s, can be operated until 2050. According to Borisov, the new aircraft will be "digitized" and equipped with Russian engines.
The issue of postponed deadlines and lack of resources in Russian aviation is also evident in other programs. Earlier we wrote that experts predict the failure of the plan to produce more than a thousand domestic aircraft by 2030: according to Oleg Smirnov, Honored Pilot of the USSR, the country still does not have mass production of aircraft engines and the necessary component base.
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