MC-21 Static Test Fuselage Arrives at Moscow Test Center

Russia’s Irkut Corporation has delivered the static test fuselage for the company's new MC-21 airliner to the N.E. Zhukovsky Central AeroHydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) in Moscow, the company announced Monday. Testing goals center on validating the strength characteristics of the new 160- to 212-seat narrowbody for type certification.

The MC-21 fuselage arrived at Zhukovsky from Irkutsk aboard an An-124 freighter on August 12. The company said the other parts of the airframe, notably the auxiliary power unit compartment, will arrive at TsAGI “in the near future.”

Irkut Corporation’s engineers, together with the employees of TsAGI and partner companies, will perform airframe assembly. Irkut is a subsidiary of United Aircraft Corp. (UAC).

The first stage of the airframe test includes leak inspection. Next, TsAGI specialists plan to initiate static tests, which include simulation of structural loads in all flight modes.

The tests comprise experimental verification of static strength, checks of the accuracy of calculation methods to determine strength and fine-tuning of the so-called finite element models based on experimental data.

TsAGI has already conducted tests of a large number of elementary and structurally similar patterns, including several types of panels, as well as cross- and longitudinal joints. The institute is now performing tests involving a fuselage compartment and a tail and fin box, while engineers ready for the isolated testing of the composite-made wing box, stabilizing fin and high-lift devices.    

At a June 8 rollout ceremony, UAC indicated that it expects to achieve a first flight for the MC-21 in February 2017. It expects the airplane to gain certification in 2018.