Boeing & Airbus Challenger? Russian MC-21 begins mass production

During a presentation of the annual report to the Russian State Duma, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin outlined his intention for civil aviation in the country. He said the country is preparing to begin mass production of the narrow-body MC-21, an aircraft that hopes to challenge the duopoly of Boeing and Airbus.

Russia is preparing for the MC-21

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has affirmed his commitment to start mass production of the narrow-body aircraft, the MC-21. In a speech to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly, Mishustin outlined his goal of launching large-scale production of the Boeing and Airbus challenger, as well as a new turboprop and a light aircraft, saying:

“We plan to start mass production of competitive transport types, the medium-haul MC-21, the Baikal light engine and the regional Il-114-300.”

The MC-21 is expected to come in two variants, the MC-21-300 and a shortened version, the MC-21-200. The -300 will be the first, and its prototypes are currently being tested in various scenarios ahead of hoped-for certification later this year.

Designed to compete with aircraft like the 737 and A320 routes, the MC-21 will seat 163 passengers in a two-class configuration and have a range of 3,240 NM (6,000 km). When first revealed to the world, the MC-21 was to use Pratt & Whitney PW1400G engines, similar to those used on the A320neo family, the A220 and the Embraer E2.

However, in December last year, the MC-21-300 prototype took flight with a pair of Russian engines known as PD-14 engines. Produced by Aviadvigatel, the PD-14 builds on the success of the PS-90, with a 15% improvement in efficiency. A downgraded model is offered for the speculated stretch of the Sukhoi Superjet, the 130NG.

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When will the MC-21 enter service?

Although the MC-21 development project lasted approximately 15 years, significant progress has been made in the past two years. The first such flight took place in May 2017, but sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States delayed the program. US-supplied engines and composites were a sticking point, so Russia decided to manufacture its own.

The development and first flight of the PD-14 powered MC-21 was a milestone for the project. With Russia also manufacturing its own composites, testing of the MC-21 has intensified considerably. Last month, a prototype made 14 flights in the cold skies of northern Russia, with the aim of testing the aircraft’s de-icing capabilities.

In February it passed emissions testing and although a prototype suffered a runway excursion after landing in snow, progress towards certification went largely without a hitch. Rostec, the parent company overseeing Irkut’s development of the plane, is still aiming for certification from EASA and other aviation bodies before the end of the year.

But it will probably be some time before you see the plane flying in the western skies. Of the 175 orders registered for the aircraft, all but two are from Russian airlines. Aeroflot has an order for 50 of the type, while Red Wings, IrAero and Utair have between 10 and 20 pieces on the books.

The only non-Russian orders to date have been received from Azerbaijan Airlines, for 10 of this type. There is also an ongoing order from Merpati Nusantara Airlines in Indonesia, an airline that has suspended services since 2014 due to financial difficulties but plans to restart soon.