According to a local media report, Russian airlines are facing a problem due to a lack of spark plugs for the Franco-Russian SAM-146 engines used in the Sokhoi SSJ-100 aircraft.

The background is that the parts are manufactured in the United States of America. Since the sanctions began, the PSJC UEC-Saturn has been able to supply its customers, but from stock. These should now be coming to an end. There is no short-term solution, as there has apparently been speculation that the issue will somehow resolve itself.

The problem is quite profound for some carriers, because there is a risk of numerous Sukhoi SSJ-100s being forced to shut down because there are hardly any spark plugs left for the engines. The Russian government actually wanted to demonstrate independence from the West with this type of machine, but many components from countries that no longer deliver due to sanctions are installed in the Superjet.

Consequently, the SaM-146 engines, which were developed as a joint project, are also affected. Among others, the French manufacturer Safran was involved, but no longer delivers due to the sanctions. The required spark plugs were produced in the past by Unison Industries in the USA.

The Kremlin sees the matter as less of a problem, as they want to replace the SaM-146 engines with Aviadvigatel PD-8. They want to produce these exclusively in the Russian Federation and thus become independent of foreign suppliers. So far, however, the supposed "problem solver" has not been able to solve the problems. At least officially, Russian carriers cannot obtain spare parts for Western aircraft. In the future, they want to produce these themselves as a "homemade brand" and also want to draw on Iran's know-how. Furthermore, parts and components continue to reach the Russian Federation via detours such as Turkey.