Russia is trying to trick China and sells what it does not have: A plane engine for a promising aircraft with long range
Russia is again trying to demonstrate technological capabilities that it does not have. Prime Viceprim-Prime Minister Denis Manturov has announced his willingness to provide China with a new aircraft engine for a long-range promising aircraft.
The airplane engine exists only in photo pages: dialog
However, as The Moscow Times writes, the main detail of this story is that the engine itself does not yet exist physically. It exists only on paper and is in the design stage.
According to Manturov, the PD-26 should be created on the basis of a gas generator from a stronger PD-35 engine. The Kremlin intends to use it not only for a hypothetical Chinese line, but also for the Russian IL-96 aircraft and future MS-21-500/600 changes.
Thus, Moscow offers Beijing a product that has not even left the floor yet.
Manturov justifies this by saying that “There is no plane yet.”which means that deliveries can start only after it appears.
At the same time, the Russian official stressed that the final decision belongs to China.
Moreover, Moscow avoids reveal details about such projects, calling them “Sensitive”.
In fact, the deputy mayor's statement seems like an illusion. The Russian aeronautical industry goes through a severe crisis due to sanctions and lack of modern technology, and key projects are blocked for years.
