ROSTEC-owned United Engine Corporation (UEC) has signed an agreement with S7 Technics on the testing of CFM56 engines that power Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft.

The agreement to test the S7 Technics-repaired power plants from 2022 was signed at the MRO Russia 2021 exhibition. Previously, these engines had to be transported to Switzerland or Germany. The transition to the Russian base will shorten the terms of servicing the aircraft of Russian operators, ROSTEC said in a statement Thursday.

“UEC serves Russian-made power plants. We are now expanding and planning to test CFM56 engines. This is the most common type of engine - currently Russian airlines operate about 800 CFM56-5B / 7B units,” said Mikhail Novikov, UEC Acting Business Development Director.

Preparatory work has already started. ROSTEC is installing additional equipment at the UEC-Saturn enterprise.

“Engine testing is the final step in the engine overhaul process. We decided to follow the path of cooperation with the UEC, which is a leader in Russia in testing various types of aircraft engines, including the joint Russian-French SaM146 engine. We are confident that testing at the UEC-Saturn stands of CFM56 engines repaired by S7 Technics will make our services of the highest quality, competitive and convenient for customers," said Alexey Starkov, S7 Technics Power Plants Repair Director.

UEC-Saturn and French company Safran together designed the SaM146 integrated power plant for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft.