# Russia's Industry Ministry signs 2 bn ruble contract to refit SSJ-100 jets with PD-8 engines

- Published: 2026-11-09 20:51 UTC
- Section: Sky & Space › Aviation
- Tags: SSJ-100 re-engining, PD-8 engine, SaM146 airworthiness, Yakovlev contract, United Aircraft Corporation, RRJ-95B, service bulletin, aircraft certification, flight tests
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-7f7e6dc6cf8c24906c69bf38_russia_s_industry/

**The 2026–2028 contract with Yakovlev covers development, certification and flight tests. The reason is the growing difficulty of keeping SaM146 engines airworthy.**

![Russia's Industry Ministry signs 2 bn ruble contract to refit SSJ-100 jets with PD-8 engines](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/fe75812d35c85e45.jpg)
*ixbt.com*

Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade has signed a 2 billion ruble contract with Yakovlev, part of United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), according to ixbt.com. The funds go to development and experimental work on re-equipping SSJ-100 aircraft with Russian PD-8 engines [1]. The contract was concluded in October 2026 and is due to be completed on 20 December 2028 [1].

## Scope of the work

The project covers 2026–2028 and three versions of the airliner: RRJ-95B, RRJ-95B-100 and RRJ-95LR-100 [1]. The work includes design, experimental and certification stages, including flight tests. The result will be a service bulletin with instructions for modifying aircraft to install the new engines [1].

The upgrade is linked to the further operation of the fleet: it is becoming harder to maintain the airworthiness of the SaM146 powerplants [1].

## Fleet size and engine life

UAC head Vadim Badekha estimated that 50–100 aircraft may need an engine replacement [1]. In early October, Rosaviatsia reported 154 SSJ-100 aircraft in operation in Russia [1].

In parallel, United Engine Corporation is studying whether the service life of the SaM146 can be extended further for part of the fleet [1].

## Sources

1. [ixbt.com](https://www.ixbt.com/news/2026/11/09/rossiiskim-superdzetam-zameniat-dvigateli-na-eto-vydelili-2-mlrd-rublei.html)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-7f7e6dc6cf8c24906c69bf38_russia_s_industry/