Engines
Sanctions Highlight Urgency of Aviadvigatel’s PD-14
New turbofan to power Irkut MC-21 making steady progress
A PD-14 demonstrator sits on display at April's Engines 2014 exposition in Moscow. (Photo: Vladimir Karnozov)
A PD-14 demonstrator sits on display at April's Engines 2014 exposition in Moscow. (Photo: Vladimir Karnozov)

Although tightening U.S. and EU sanctions have crippled Russia's economy, they haven't slowed the country's efforts to advance high-tech programs in civil aviation to reduce dependence on Western imports and to tailor the technology for sale into places such as China and India. The Kremlin continues to fully honor its commitments to finance new projects, including the Irkut MC-21 narrowbody jetliner and the Aviadvigital PD-14 turbofan. At a recent press briefing in Perm, Russia, Aviadvigatel general director Alexander Inozemtsev said investments so far amount to 28 billion roubles ($490 million), out of 85 billion roubles promised in total for the PD-14 effort. Perm-based Aviadvigatel leads the development, receiving work packages performed by other Russian design bureaus.