After decades of government rule and intervention leading to an ailing airline manufacturing industry Sukhoi Aircraft has rolled out a new airliner – the Superjet 100.  This is the first commercial airliner produced in nearly a decade in Russia. The 103 passenger airliner takes aim at a market dominated by many other manufacturers.

The manufacturer states, “The SSJ 100 aerodynamic configuration is specifically optimized for high cruise M-speed. When compared with its rivals bound to fly at M 0.75 – 0.76 to stay in economic mode, SSJ 100 has higher cruise speed. Fuel efficiency is secured by the third generation supercritical airfoil wing and excellent local aerodynamics. All this combined with perfectly balanced aircraft control laws in autopilot mode add to fuel consumption savings. Weight perfection and the SaM146 engine, tailored for this aircraft family; reduce fuel consumption per seat by 10% compared to its rivals.”

Decades late with no commonality in training and spare parts it appears that this manufacturer has a long way to go to penetrate a market dominated by Airbus and Boeing.