Site news 10.06.2013June 10, 2013, Rybinsk. – At the beginning of June 2013 the overall duration of on-wing operation of the SaM146 engine fleet equaled 43 647 flight hours. The engine has demonstrated a high level of in-service reliability; the engine dispatch ratio (which guarantees that an aircraft will take off on time) was 99,89 %. Pursuant to the official classification, no in-service events or accidents have been recorded.
At the moment 39 engines are in revenue service. NPO Saturn is still in a position to ensure on-time delivery of serial SaM146 engines to its customer - SCAC. Since the beginning of serial production, NPO Saturn has delivered 64 engines; 52 engines are slated for delivery in 2013 subject to the customer schedule variations.
The SaM146 propulsion system was designed and developed by NPO Saturn in collaboration with the French Snecma and represents an integrated power plant (incorporating the engine, a nacelle and engine dressing components) designed for application on short-to-medium range aircraft of new generation.
The SaM146 program constitutes a strategic partnership built on risk- and revenue-sharing principles with parity in every aspect. As to the responsibility sharing, NPO Saturn is in charge of designing the low-pressure section of the engine, its production, conducting dedicated component tests and ensuring engine assembly, preparing and conducting all engine ground tests and engine delivery to the customer. Snecma is in charge of designing and manufacturing the high-pressure section of the engine, ensuring the overall design and engine systems integration and is also in charge of running engine flight tests and ensuring the integration of the power plant with the airframe.
The SaM146 is the first Russian-made power plant that received an EASA international type certificate. The first application of the SaM146 power plant is the Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft family designed by Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (a 100% subsidiary of the Sukhoi Aviation Holding Company) in alliance with Alenia (Italy).
The engine has been produced and certified. All of its declared characteristics have been demonstrated in operation. A set of post-certification engine upgrade actions has been proposed and is already underway with regard to conducting engine life validation tests, performance optimization, weight reduction and conducting extra design work aimed at improving the engine application performance and in-service reliability.
Key program milestones
The SaM146 engine program powering short-to-medium range aircraft is developing in smooth steps.
2001 – NPO Saturn and Snecma signed a collaboration agreement relevant to joint design, production and customer support system deployment to service the SaM146 power plant.
2001 – Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company announced a call for tenders to choose an engine to power its prospective RRJ short-to-medium range aircraft family.
2003 – the SaM146 power plant was chosen by SCAC as the exclusive power plant to be installed on the Russian regional aircraft family (RRJ 65-75-95, which was subsequently renamed SSJ100).
2004 – NPO Saturn and Snecma set up a joint venture dubbed PowerJet whose primary function is the SaM146 program management.
2006 – beginning of the SaM146 engine ground test campaign.
2007 – beginning of the SaM146 engine flight test campaign utilizing an IL-76LL flight test bed.
2008 – on May 19 the SaM146 engine flight tests on the SSJ100 aircraft began.
2010 – on June 23 an EASA engine type certificate was received for the 1S17 modification of the SaM146 engine. This certificate was validated by IAC AR in August of the same year.
2011 – on April 19 the first SSJ100 aircraft equipped with the SaM146 engines was delivered to Armavia airline. In June SSJ100 entered its revenue service with Aeroflot - Russian Airlines.
2012 – on January 17 the 1S18 extended thrust SaM146 engine modification powering the extended-range SSJ100-95 and SSJ100 aircraft business version (SBJ) successfully completed EASA certification.
2012 – on April 12 NPO Saturn was granted an EASA certificate authorizing serial production of the SaM146 engines, one year earlier (January 2011) NPO Saturn received a similar certificate from IAC AR and in August 2011 the company was granted an IAC AR certificate to perform repair operations on the SaM146 engine.
To ensure a seamless deployment of the customer support network, two customer support centers, one in Russia and one in France, have been built and put into operation, as well as training centers to teach the mechanics how to maintain the SaM146 engines; parts distribution centers have also been created.
The NPO Saturn-based SaM146 engine repair facilities have been certified by IAC AR and FATA. (August 2011 – a repair organization approval certificate was granted by IAC AR. September 2011 – validation certificate was issued by FATA).
2012 – on 9 July the airworthiness authorities of Mexico approved the type certificates for the SaM146 1S17 and 1S18.
2012 – on November 14 the airworthiness authorities of Indonesia approved the type certificates for the SaM146 1S17 and 1S18.
2012 – on December 19 the airworthiness authorities of Laos approved the type certificate for the SaM146 1S17.
2013 – in February the airworthiness authorities of Lao People’s Democratic Republic granted NPO Saturn a repair organization approval certificate.
Research and production association Saturn OJSC is an engine-building company specialized in design and development, production and after-market support of gas turbine engines for military and civil aviation, Navy boats and power-generating plants and gas-pumping units. NPO Saturn is part of United Engine Corporation.
Managing company United Engine Corporation OJSC is a subsidiary of UIC OBORONPROM OJSC. The UEC structure integrates over 85% of Russia’s leading companies specialized in design and development, serial production and after-market support of gas turbine machinery, as well as the key enterprises – the industry’s integral players. One of the UEC’s prioritized fields of activity is the implementation of comprehensive programs of development of the companies in the industry by introducing the world-class new technologies.
United Industrial Corporation OBORONPROM OJSC is a multi-field machine-building group created in 2002. It is part of Rostec. The main fields of activity – helicopter building (the Russian Helicopters holding), engine building (the UEC holding) and other assets.
Rostec is a Russian corporation created in 2007 with the goal to facilitate the design and development, production and export of high-tech industrial products of civil and military application. It incorporates 663 organizations which are currently grouped in 12 holding companies in the defense-industrial complex and 5 in civil branches of the industry. The Rostec-controlled companies are located in 60 regions of the Russian Federation and deliver their products to the markets of over 70 countries of the world. Over 900 thousand people are employed by the Rostec companies which constitutes roughly 2% of Russia’s employable population. The net profit in 2011 equaled 45.6 billion rubles, the amount of tax paid to the budgets of all levels has reached 100 billion rubles.
