Russia announced a significant new state-funded research initiative at the end of April 2025: the “Development of a suite of technologies for the airframe, powerplant, aircraft systems, and onboard radio-electronic equipment to shape the technical appearance of a promising supersonic civil aircraft” (Code “SGS-T3”). This project is an important development in Russia’s pursuit of a next-generation supersonic passenger aircraft, to achieve a technological breakthrough in civil aviation.
Work on the SGS-T3 program is scheduled to start in December 2025 and be completed by early December 2027, and it is divided into five distinct stages. The contractor who will be responsible for the development will be chosen through a competitive process on May 16, 2025. The project’s national significance will be underscored by the fact that the Russian state budget will provide all funding.
The developers aim to create an aircraft capable of cruising at Mach 2–2.1 (approximately 2,500 km/h) and achieving a minimum range of 8,500 km. These specifications represent a significant improvement over the existing subsonic civil aircraft that currently dominate the global fleet. Breakthroughs in various fields, including aerodynamics, propulsion, and avionics, will be necessary to achieve this level of performance.
Since the mid-2010s, Russia has been making a systematic effort to develop critical technologies for future supersonic civil aircraft. Russia has developed and tested prototypes to demonstrate the feasibility of several critical technologies, which have already achieved Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 3–4. However, full-scale production is still in the future.
Russian teams concentrated on establishing preliminary requirements and technical configurations for the aircraft between 2023 and 2025. This process includes integrating the airframe, powerplant, and onboard systems. Additionally, they have compiled technical specifications and design documentation for a flight demonstrator aircraft, “Strizh,” and have developed a technology roadmap that includes cost and timeline assessments.
The Soviet Union’s experience with the Tu-144 supersonic transport in the 1960s and 1970s underscores the significant complexity and expense of such programs. Despite its pioneering flights, the Tu-144 never achieved full-scale commercial operation before its discontinuation. The development of a safe, commercially viable supersonic airliner is a long-term goal, although digital design and sophisticated computational tools offer new efficiencies.
Engine development is a significant component of the SGS-T3 program. In 2025, research is currently underway on various demonstrators for advanced engine modules. These include high-pressure, heat-loaded compressors with air-bleed systems for turbine cooling; high-altitude, low-emission combustion chambers; new turbine components, such as experimental nozzles and rotor blades with advanced cooling; and additively manufactured air-to-air heat exchangers for turbine cooling.
Other research is investigating the use of high-temperature polymer composites for designing blades, electric drive, and generator systems for new power units, and ceramic composite materials for nozzle systems. Along with the current work to improve the long-lasting strength of important alloys and improve high-pressure turbine parts, these efforts will provide essential information for putting together a future technology test engine.
The aircraft’s body is being improved in several ways, such as creating eco-friendly materials, changing the design of the intakes on top of the wings to reduce noise and sonic booms, making the intake and exhaust systems more aerodynamic for quieter supersonic flight, and using new mesh-like structures made of unidirectional composite ribs to support the nose section.
The “closed cockpit” concept, which is a completely digital crew interface that employs automated monitoring and external vision systems, will be a defining feature of the future aircraft. In the spring of 2025, Russian media reported effective test flights of this equipment in a flying laboratory based on the Yak-40.
Another area of extensive research is radio-electronic equipment (REE), which plays a critical role in modern civil aviation, particularly supersonic aviation. It is anticipated that a flight demonstrator for the external vision system will be available by the end of 2027, in addition to enhanced hybrid simulation benches for integration testing.
Supersonic civil aircraft encounter considerable environmental and regulatory obstacles. The commercial viability of supersonic transports such as Concorde and Tu-144 has been historically restricted by significant obstacles, including noise, particularly sonic boom, and emissions standards. Russian efforts are currently addressing these issues through advanced design and technology. However, international regulatory frameworks significantly impede the widespread adoption of these technologies.
The majority of supersonic civil aircraft projects are in the demonstrator or early prototype stage, although numerous companies and countries are actively pursuing them on a global scale. Despite the investments of companies such as Boom Supersonic and Aerion, regulatory uncertainty, and environmental concerns have impeded progress in the United States. The more commercially driven efforts observed elsewhere are in stark contrast to Russia’s approach, which is characterized by strong state support and a focus on long-term technological maturity.
According to industry professionals, the first Russian supersonic commercial aircraft prototype could appear in the early 2030s, with the potential for more advanced models to be developed by 2040, contingent upon market demand and consistent funding. The SGS-T3 program’s success will be contingent upon a stable policy environment, consistent planning, and constant investment, all of which have historically been difficult to achieve in large-scale Russian aerospace projects.
Russian civil aviation is currently experiencing significant technological advancement—albeit not at a rapid pace, but with a focus on quality. It is reasonable to anticipate that it will take shape over the next 10–15 years. There is literally no alternative.
Russia’s recent initiative to create a supersonic civil airliner is both ambitious and technically challenging. The SGS-T3 program’s systematic approach and the lessons learned from previous efforts establish a strong foundation for progress, although substantial challenges persist, including technical, regulatory, and economic ones. Russian civil supersonic aviation may resume its prominence in the decades ahead if these efforts are sustained.
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