Replacement of Western parts: Russian seats in the Superjet also fail the second test

Russia is trying to free its aircraft models from Western technology as much as possible. This is what the sanctions require as a result of the attack on Ukraine. It was clear from the beginning that replacing them with indigenous components would pose a significant challenge, especially for complex systems such as the MS-21 flight controllers with active side arms.

But now Superjet New, as the Russian version of Superjet 100 is called, is experiencing unexpected difficulties with a technically much simpler part: the seats. The western seats came from B/E Aerospace of Florida, which is now a subsidiary of RTX. Now the Russian Aerospace Systems Design Bureau has developed domestic seats for regional aircraft.

He also failed the second test

However, these Russian seats in the Superjet New did not stand the test in December. They were subjected to forces of 16 g. Pictures showed a row of three seats torn off the front and flipped over. Three test dummies were buried underneath.

The first test failed. Image: screenshotcom. depositphotos/aeroTELEGRAPH compilation

As reported by aviation channel Aviatorshina, the seats have been modified after the failed test. When they had to run the same test again at the end of January, they failed again and the test dummy broke in two. This time, the photos were not leaked.

Interest from Belarus, Iran and North Korea

Russia already planned to increase the share of Russian components in the Superjet to 50 to 60 percent in 2019. The fact that the country is cut off from Western suppliers due to sanctions in 2022 made the project urgent. Vladimir Artyakov, vice president of state-owned Rostec, admitted that it was not possible to use 100 percent Russian spare parts. You will still have to import a small part that you cannot produce yourself. “But our partners will always help us in this matter,” Artyakov said, referring to friendly countries.

Superjet has also attracted interest from other countries. The national airline Belavia from Belarus wants to buy Superjet New. North Korea and Iran are also monitoring the Russian regional plane for local airlines.

Also Baikal with sitting problems

Meanwhile, Aviatorshina reported that there were also seat problems on the new LMS-901 Baikal turboprop aircraft. They have passed several tests. In the endurance test with 6G, the seats came out without damage, but the pressure values ​​​​in the spine area were far beyond the requirements.