Russian Aircraft Designers Tested Yesterday's Engine

http://www.rusbiznews.com/news/n676.html

Flight testing of the PS-90A2 engine built by the Perm design bureau
of Aviadvigatel (Aircraft Engine) OJSC has been completed in November.
It helped designers test several technologies that they are going to
use for the fifth generation engine. However, experts believe that it
is too early or rather too late for hurrah's: it was Pratt and Whitney
(USA) that managed to enhance PS-90A's capacity. They have already
tested a brand new engine and won the tender for supplying it to the
Irkut Corporation. The RusBusinessNews correspondent has found out why
the Perm people are tailing along.

PS-90A2 is Russia's only fourth generation engine (although certain
experts reckon it among the "three plus" class). The Perm people
started developing it in the tough 1990s when the military industry
sector plants found themselves in the whirlpool of industry
restructuring. Because of the absence of orders and the lack of
working capital they didn't manage to complete their work on time. As
a result, the Russian specialists only managed to demonstrate the
achievements of 1990s in the field of engine building at the end of
the first decade of the 21st century.