Russian ministry initiates Rb14bn undertaking to enhance PD-14 engine for MC-21

Russia’s commerce and trade ministry has issued a name for tenders for a undertaking to enhance the Aviadvigatel PD-14 engine which powers the Yakovlev MC-21-310.

The ministry’s tender – revealed on an official authorities portal within the first half of April – states that greater than Rb14.2 billion ($170 million) is being allotted to the three-stage undertaking.

This modernisation effort is about to final almost three years, with the work to be accomplished in December 2027.

It centres on prolonging the powerplant’s life, growing its gas effectivity, and decreasing each weight and noise, utilizing knowledge from MC-21-310 testing as a foundation.

The undertaking may also purpose to optimise manufacturing processes by decreasing labour and materials consumption.

Its preliminary stage, working to the tip of this yr, will give attention to system refinement and increasing the operational functionality.

Weight discount and gas effectivity, in addition to enchancment of acoustics, will likely be addressed over the course of 2026, whereas the next yr will focus on testing and preparation for serial manufacturing.

The PD-14, licensed by federal air transport regulator Rosaviatsia in 2018, first flew on the MC-21-310 in mid-December 2020.

This engine was supposed as a Russian-built different to the Pratt & Whitney PW1400G for the -300 variant.

But sanctions imposed over the Ukraine battle have resulted within the -310 changing into the lead plane, and the twinjet – which is but to enter service – has been present process modification to switch foreign-built parts with home equivalents.