Russia’s United Engine Corporation (UEC) has completed certification tests for the Aviadvigatel PD-8 turbofan, the domestically built powerplant developed to replace the French-Russian SaM146 on the import-substituted Yakovlev SJ-100 regional jet.
State technology conglomerate Rostec announced the milestone on May 14, 2026, saying the engine had accumulated close to 6,600 hours of total operation, including 1,449 hours of flight testing on an Ilyushin Il-76LL flying laboratory and on prototype Superjet SJ-100 airframes.
Final tests focused on hail and harsh weather
The final stage of the certification campaign took place in April 2026 at UEC-Saturn’s open-air rig in Rybinsk, where the PD-8 was subjected to simulated hail ingestion. It concluded a sequence of evaluations carried out over the past several months, including a fan blade-off test in December 2025, water ingestion trials in November 2025, bird ingestion tests, and natural icing flights in the Arkhangelsk region in March 2026.
According to Rostec, the engine integrates 17 new technological developments, among them high-pressure turbine blades and nozzle assemblies manufactured from alloys with greater resistance to high temperatures than those used on the larger PD-14, from which the PD-8 derives its core architecture.
“This Russian engine has demonstrated high reliability and safety, even under critical conditions,” said Fyodor Mironov, UEC’s deputy director for sales, quoted in the Rostec statement.
A precondition for SJ-100 certification
The PD-8 is a two-spool turbofan in the eight-ton (78 kN) thrust class, with a bypass ratio of 4.4 and a fully Russian electronic control system. It is intended to power both the SJ-100, the import-substituted version of the Sukhoi Superjet 100, and the Beriev Be-200 amphibious firefighter.
Rostec said the completion of testing should allow Rosaviatsia to issue type certification for the engine, a precondition for certifying the SJ-100 itself. The head of the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency, Dmitry Yadrov, indicated in March 2026 that PD-8 approval was expected in April 2026, with SJ-100 certification to follow in July 2026.
The program is central to Russia’s effort to keep its commercial fleet flying despite Western sanctions, which since 2022 have cut off support for the SaM146 jointly produced by Safran subsidiary Snecma and the same UEC facility now building the PD-8. UAC, the SJ-100’s manufacturer, also signed a memorandum with India’s Hindustan Aeronautics in October 2025 to explore licensed assembly of the regional jet.
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