Russia restarts production of engines for shipborne fighter jets

Engines for the naval aviation’s Su-33 aircraft arrive after passing all the test stages

Russia has launched the production of upgraded engines for deck-based Sukhoi Su-33 fighter jets, the press office of the United Engine Corporation (UEC) said on Wednesday.

"In order to meet the requirements of the state customer, the UEC has resumed the production of AL-31F series 3 turbofan engines for deck-based Su-33 fighters. A batch of the engines has already been produced by UMPO [part of the UEC] and supplied to the customer," the press office said.

The AL-31F series 3 engines were developed and produced specially for Su-33 aircraft, the UEC said.

"Considering the evolutionary development that the family of AL-31F engines has undergone after the last series 3 units were produced, the new engines for seaborne heavy fighters are made with the introduction of modifications that have already been applied to the engines of the AL-31F family," the corporation’s press office said.

The AL-31F turbofan engine with an afterburner and a variable thrust nozzle is mounted on the aircraft of the Su-27 family. It is used in a wide range of altitudes and flight speeds and provides for the aircraft’s unique maneuverable characteristics.

The AL-31F has been used as the basis for developing the AL-31FP variant with thrust vector control and the AL-31FN variant with the lower arrangement of the box of aircraft accessory for mounting on single-engine fighter jets.

As its specific feature, the Al-31F series 3 offers a possibility for introducing an additional special mode for the aircraft’s takeoff from the deck with the full combat load or for an emergency go-around maneuver.