The Insider counts 363 lawsuits worth $265 million against Russian aircraft maker Yakovlev as production of SJ-100 and MC-21 pushed to 2027

PJSC Yakovlev's MC-21 (left) and SSJ-100 (right) passenger aircraft. Photo: United Aircraft Corporation

On May 7, Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov told Vladimir Putin that serial production of the MC-21 and SJ-100 would begin in 2027. A day earlier, Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov said the SJ-100 could begin regular flights before the end of 2026. This is not the first delay for the SJ-100 and MC-21. In 2024, Chemezov said production of the MC-21 had been pushed back to 2025 and the SJ-100 to 2026. At the time, United Aircraft Corp. attributed the delays to sanctions, the replacement of imported systems and the need to repeat testing.

Court statistics show that Yakovlev’s problems go beyond certification and postponed serial production. According to the SPARK database, 363 lawsuits totaling more than 21.2 billion rubles were filed against the company as a defendant between 2024 and 2026. Most of the disputes are tied to contractual obligations within the production chain, including supplies, contracting work, services and energy. Aviation experts who spoke to The Insider on condition of anonymity said these disputes point to payment problems within the aviation and defense production networks.