Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC) has completed the flight test program of the Superjet 100 new horizontal wingtips.
The horizontal wingtips, called saberlets by the manufacturer, will allow to improve Superjet 100 take-off and landing performance as well as reduce fuel consumption by “no less” than 4%, according to Russian Minister for Industry and Trade Denis Manturov.
The take-off and landing characteristics improvement is specifically targeted for airlines operating on regional runways, in hot weather conditions and on mountain aerodromes, the company had disclosed previously, upon the start of the flight testing. At the time it also provided estimations that the new wingtips could help operators save up to $70,000 a year per one Superjet 100.
SCAC expects that Superjet 100 improvement program would accommodate market expansion and finding new customers, the company’s General Ravil Khakimov explained in a statement.
In the flight testing, that started in December 2017, the company used two aircraft (serial numbers 95032 and 95157). The aircraft together performed over 140 flights to examine take-off and landing performance, stability and manageability, flight control systems, lights, vertical navigation (VNAV), fuel consumption at different flight stages and other performance parameters.
Once certified, saberlets will be offered on both new Superjet 100s and the planes that are already in service.