Published on: 2026-10-08
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
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Engineers at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, within the key scientific and technological development direction of SPbPU “System Digital Engineering” (chief designer — director of the Advanced Engineering School “Digital Engineering” Alexey Borovkov), are developing a two-seat light-engine aircraft, the CML-Aeroplane, made from composite materials. It will serve as a prototype for an unmanned aerial system (UAS). The work is being carried out with the support of the federal program “Priority 2030.”
The carbon fiber aircraft is capable of flying at low altitudes — up to 10 meters — with low noise levels (when equipped with an electric power unit) and can take off and land on any type of surface. The takeoff run length is less than 150 meters. The aircraft can carry up to 250 kg of payload and has an optimal layout for training flights. The design and equipment allow flights during the day in simple weather conditions according to visual flight rules, using dirt, snow, and water surfaces as runways, depending on the type of landing gear.
The CML-Aeroplane under development is the only two-seater carbon fiber aircraft in Russia. Thanks to the use of composite materials, it is lightweight, strong, and rigid. In our development, we apply system digital engineering approaches based on our own digital platform for the development and application of digital twins, CML-Bench®. The digital twin technology ensures high speed in design and optimization of the product. Advanced manufacturing technologies and materials allow the production of the airframe within a few days during serial production. In the future, a modification of the CML-Aeroplane into an unmanned aerial system (UAS) is planned for performing aerial chemical operations in agriculture,” commented Mikhail Korchkov, head of the experimental design bureau of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering.”
Currently, SPbPU engineers have already developed a digital twin and conducted virtual tests of the main components and the product as a whole. Simultaneously, the working design documentation CML-Aeroplane is being developed based on the results of digital tests. In addition, scientists and engineers of the PISH SPbPU have created a special furnace for polymerization — the process of heating and final curing of composites, during which the resin turns into a solid and ultra-strong material. The furnace is intended for large nodal elements of the aircraft.
As a result, the CML-Aeroplane aircraft will have the following characteristics:
- wingspan – 9.8 meters;
- The volume of the fuselage fuel tank is 40 liters, the volume of the wing fuel tanks (additional) is 50 liters;
- maximum horizontal flight speed — 170 km/h, cruising speed — 140 km/h;
- maximum flight duration: with a fuel volume of 40 liters — 3.8 hours, with 90 liters — 7.5 hours.
Engineers plan to complete the manufacture of the prototype and flight tests in 2027. Subsequently, after modifying the manned aircraft into a UAV, specialists at SPbPU plan to obtain a type certificate based on the “digital certification” methodology developed and tested at the Research Institute of Jet Engines at SPbPU.
It should be noted that the development of a two-seater light aircraft made from composite materials is based on the scientific and technological groundwork of the SPbPU PISH engineering team from 2025. At that time, they improved the X-32 MIX aircraft. The polytechnic engineers developed mathematical and computer models of the aircraft and conducted a series of digital tests on aerodynamics and strength using the CML-Bench® digital platform. Based on these results, the aircraft was refined to improve its aerodynamic characteristics. In 2025, the modified aircraft helped the SPbPU PISH team win the Russian Ultra-Light Aviation Sports Championship, and in August 2026, the Interregional Championship.
Reference
CML-Bench® is a digital platform for the development and application of digital twins by Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. It is a unique Russian development that ensures the design and production processes of globally competitive high-tech products in the shortest possible time across various industries: aerospace, engine manufacturing, automotive, shipbuilding, rocket and space technology, nuclear and oil & gas engineering, medical engineering, as well as in new rapidly forming and growing markets, for example, unmanned aerial systems and unmanned aerial vehicles.
More than 60 projects per year are implemented on the digital platform for 10 high-tech industrial sectors. Currently, the digital platform CML-Bench® integrates over 225 advanced CAx technologies, contains more than 11 thousand records of physical and mechanical material properties, and 395 thousand digital and design solutions for various industries.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.