Russia is extending the service life of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 due to the failure of its aircraft program — intelligence
The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced a $60.6 million tender to extend the service life of Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft, with a completion deadline of December 2028. This decision effectively points to serious problems in Russia’s program to revive its aviation industry.
This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
As part of a comprehensive program to develop the Russian aviation industry through 2030, the plan was to deliver 42 modernized SSJ100s to airlines. However, only 12 aircraft have been delivered so far.
As noted, the launch of the updated version of the aircraft is being blocked due to the lack of the PD-8 engine, without which serial production is impossible.
Similar difficulties are being observed in other Russian aviation projects, including:
- MC-21
- Il-114-300
- Tu-214
- Il-96-300
Of the planned large-scale deliveries, only one additional Tu-214 has actually been put into service.
In Russia, they are effectively shifting from the production of new aircraft to extending the service life of the existing fleet. This involves increasing the service life of the SSJ100 to 20 years and expanding the permissible flight hours.
The intelligence report emphasizes that, given the low contract value, this appears to be more of a formal decision than a genuine modernization effort.
A separate issue remains the Superjet’s dependence on French SaM146 engines, which were developed in collaboration with Safran. After the start of full-scale war, the company withdrew from the Russian market.
Meanwhile, Russia’s “ODK-Saturn” does not assume full responsibility for engine repairs, which complicates fleet maintenance.
According to the Foreign Intelligence Service, Russia previously planned to increase the share of its own aircraft to 80% by 2030; this figure has now been reduced to 50%, with the actual share as of May 2026 standing at approximately 19%.
The intelligence report concludes that “extending the service life of the SSJ100 is not a technical solution, but a way to conceal the crisis in the industry.”
Earlier, the Russian company “New Cloud Technologies,” known under the brand name “MyOffice,” announced large-scale staff cuts amid significant financial losses.
