The aircraft were named after Alexander Yablontsev, Viktor Subbotin, Yuri Ivashechkin and Igor Vinogradov.
The Yakovlev Company of the United Aircraft Corporation, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC, currently a branch of the Yakovlev Regional Aircraft Company), named four experimental Superjets after its founders: Alexander Yablontsev, Viktor Subbotin, Yuri Ivashechkin and Igor Vinogradov.
Three named experimental aircraft are connected to the flight test program as part of the import substitution program, and another aircraft is being used to develop a number of technical solutions to support the operation of the SSJ-100 flying fleet.
Naming the experimental aircraft perpetuates the memory of the representatives of the SSJ-100 aircraft design team and highlights their contribution to the development of the Russian aviation industry.
The aircraft with the serial number (s/n) 97001 is named after the first chief pilot of the SCAC, Alexander Yablontsev. In May 2008, he took the airliner into the sky over Komsomolsk-on-Amur for the first time. Under his leadership, the GSS test pilots not only conducted the entire range of flight tests of the aircraft, but also took an active part in supporting the commissioning of a new type of aircraft in Russian and foreign airlines.
The c/n 95157 aircraft was named after Viktor Subbotin, the first president of the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company. Under his leadership, a new company was created from scratch, an international cooperation was formed, the first contracts for the SSJ-100 were signed, production started and flight tests of the machine began.
The c/n 97003 aircraft was named after the first chief designer of the SSJ-100, Yuri Ivashechkin. He joined the program as an experienced aircraft designer who participated in the development of a number of Sukhoi Design Bureau aircraft. For a long period, he led the work on the Su-25 attack aircraft, including testing this machine in combat conditions in Afghanistan. As the chief designer of the SSJ-100, Yuri Ivashechkin went through the most difficult stages of the development of the machine, integrating advanced systems into the ship's design for the first time.
The c/n 95005 aircraft is named after Igor Vinogradov, Deputy Director General for Certification and Quality of Civil Aircraft. He became one of the founders of the modern Russian certification system for passenger aircraft and aircraft industry enterprises. Under his leadership, the GCC company received certificates from the developer and manufacturer of aircraft, and the SSJ-100 aircraft is certified according to Russian and foreign airworthiness standards. Later, he took an active part in the certification of the MC-21 aircraft.
From 2011 to the present, the aircraft has become the most massive new Russian aircraft in operation. It has transported tens of millions of passengers in 14 years. In total, Russia has produced more than 200 SSJ-100 aircraft of various modifications, operated by seven Russian airlines. The flight time of the SSJ-100 fleet since the beginning of operation has amounted to more than 1,860,000 flight hours, over one million flights have been performed on the aircraft.
Today, an import-substituted version of the Superjet aircraft is being created. A large cooperation of Rostec enterprises is involved in its construction. As part of these works, the Russian version of the machine is equipped with domestic engines, avionics, landing gear, auxiliary power plant, control systems, power supply, air conditioning, fire protection and others. The aircraft also received a new airframe, which has been modified to simplify the production and maintenance of the aircraft.
