Sukhoi Shows Off "Saberlets" on Superjet 100

Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (UAC, Stand J39, Chalet CS48) has brought to Singapore its Superjet SSJ100, equipped with so-called saberlets—wingtip devices meant to improve takeoff and landing performance and decrease fuel consumption by at least 3 percent.

The manufacturer flew the test airplane on display here for the first time on December 21. During the two hour, 42 minute flight, SCAC crew appraised stability and control under different flap configurations. Taking the airplane to an altitude of 11,000 meters (36,000 feet), they also tested various “modes” to determine the level of fuel consumption at different flight stages.

Manufactured by Russia’s Voronezh plant (VASO), the form of the saberlet kits resulted from research and engineering performed with computational fluid dynamics by SCAC and the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI).

Part of SCAC’s Superjet 100 improvement program, the retrofitable saberlets will cut the cost of operating each airplane by as much as $70,000 per year, according to SCAC president Alexander Rubtsov.