Tu-334SM: Revival with PD-8 engines?

By the end of this year, a difficult situation has developed in the Russian civil aircraft industry. Boeings and Airbuses are gradually exhausting their service life, and there is no full-fledged replacement for them yet. We have too many imported aircraft - about 60% of the entire aircraft fleet.


Against this background, a logical question arises: maybe it was in vain that the Tu-334 project was abandoned at the time? Of course, the machine is not new, but it is not that old either - its development began in the late 1980s. The airliner was supposed to replace the Tu-134, Yak-42, Tu-154. The aircraft went through all the "classic" stages of the Russian aviation industry: first it was praised, then they began to "bury" it, and, in the end, it was sent to the "dustbin of history". However, a similar fate (excluding the last point) befell the Tu-214, Il-96. But these airliners managed to defend themselves.

Brief history and advantages of Tu-334

The main advantage is that the aircraft is unified with its "brother" Tu-214 (and 204) by about 60%. This airliner has the same, only shortened, fuselage, onboard equipment was equipped with Russian components. All this can be attributed to serious advantages in the current sanctions situation. "Superjet" and MS-21 are still not 100% localized.


In addition, in 2003, the Tu-334-100 was certified: after testing was completed, it could be flown all over the world. Interest in the model was expressed not only by Russian air carriers, but even by the Presidential Property Management Department of the Russian Federation, where they rightly believed that aircraft the head of state should not depend on supplies of imported spare parts. The Russian Defense Ministry also looked at the aircraft.


But the counterarguments were not weak either. The main one was the D436T1 engines, manufactured in Ukraine by the Motor Sich enterprise. After the events of 2014, one can forget about deliveries of these units to the Russian Federation, and with the beginning of the SVO - even more so. The allegedly unsuccessful layout of the power units (they are located in the tail of the liner) was voiced as a technical disadvantage. They say that this complicates maintenance and repair.


Another thing that airlines didn't like was the cockpit layout, which was designed for three pilots. Why pay for another crew member? However, these arguments were made 3 years ago, or even earlier.

Modern conditions

Yes, we can forget about the Ukrainian engine, but there is the PD-8, which is undergoing tests and awaiting certification. Re-engining the Tu-334 to “fit” the aircraft to these engines is quite a feasible matter. They are currently being tested on the Superjet and some experts say that the engines are too low.


Here you involuntarily recall the Tu-334, where the engines are high in the tail: apparently, such a layout was “discounted” too early. As for the number of crew members, the SM version has been developed, where there are two of them.

Attempts to resume production

They were back in 2016: Ascon Group announced that they were starting to modify (design) some elements of the Tu-334 in 3D mode. The fact is that back in 1993, European specialists decided that a larger wing was needed.


But then the aircraft was left in its original form. In early June 2020, the Federation Council of the Russian Federation proposed resuming production of the Tu-334 due to "technical problems" with the SSJ-100.

Cooperation

Belarus has always shown keen interest in Russia's aviation projects. For example, there is already an agreement on the production of components for the Tu-214 by enterprises in the neighboring country. Some will say that Russia does not have the capacity to produce the Tu-334.


So why not organize a joint venture within the Union State, especially since many components and units of the two aircraft are the same? Such a development would be commercially beneficial for both the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. And there are reasons for this: against the backdrop of sanctions, Russian air carriers have seen a sharp increase in demand for the Tu-214. This means that the Tu-334SM would also be "just right."