The senior official told the press on Monday that the aircraft with PD-8 engines entered flight tests, which is an important and long-awaited step towards the certification of the technologically independent version of the Superjet.

Total dedication and overcoming all challenges on the part of the manufacturers allowed the aircraft to successfully complete its first flight with Russian engines, he said.

Meanwhile, Rostec state corporation reported that the flight took place in Komsomolsk-na-Amur, and was carried out by a crew consisting of test pilots Dmitry Demenev, Igor Grevtsev and flight operator Maxim Grukanov.

The aircraft was in the air for about 40 minutes, reached a speed of 500 kilometers per hour and an altitude of 3,000 meters, then successfully returned to the airfield, Rostec noted.

The air corporation also noted that the aircraft demonstrated stable operation, while the gas-dynamic stability of the engines was assessed as satisfactory.

Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov said there is still a lot of work to do and announced that another all-Russian aircraft with PD-8s will join the certification flight tests in April.

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