Story ID: 352
Russia's Irkut MC-21-300 Performs First Flight
By: Gregory Polek
Caption: Maiden mission from Irkutsk lasts 30 minutes
Word Count: 1019
Russia's Irkut MC-21-300 single-aisle airliner flew for the first time on May 28, a milestone that parent company United Aircraft (UAC) hopes will set it on a path to mounting a serious challenge to the global dominance of U.S. and European airframers. Lasting only 30 minutes, the flight from the Irkutsk Aviation Plant airfield in Siberia took the 163- to 211-seat airliner to an altitude of 3,280 feet and a speed of 162 knots. The crew checked aerodynamic stability and controllability as well as engine controls, and they performed a simulated landing approach, followed by a pass over the runway and climbing and turning maneuvers.  
“This is not just the first flight of a new aircraft, but rather an advance of the product that will determine the shape of the Russian civilian aviation industry for the next fifty years,” commented UAC president Yury Slyusar.
The first flight came only two weeks after Irkut had announced the beginning of taxi trials at its Irkutsk airfield and nearly a year after the airplane’s rollout in the Siberian city on June 8 last year. At the time, officials eyed Russian certification in 2018, although earlier plans to fly the airplane by the end of last year appeared dashed. During the rollout ceremony Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev made reference to plans for first flight “within a year,” and UAC officials acknowledged that the previously quoted target might prove too optimistic. A UAC spokesman told AIN that February 2017 appeared more realistic, but since then virtually all had gone quiet at Irkut until taxi tests in May.
Powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1400G geared turbofans, the MC-21 offers the widest fuselage of any single-aisle airliner on the market, promising cabin comfort for full-service airlines and cost advantages for low-fare carriers, according to UAC and Irkut. The MC-21’s list price of $91 million suggests a 15-percent lower acquisition cost than that of the current Airbus A320.
Irkut claims that either the PW1400G or a Russian engine alternative—namely, the Aviadvigatel PD14 now undergoing a second round of testing aboard an Ilyushin Il-76 flying testbed—will produce a 12- to 15-percent operating cost advantage over the current A320. Apart from the engines, the MC-21’s most radical advance is its carbon-fiber wings, which take the airplane’s composite content to 30 percent. AeroComposit in Ulyanovsk, Russia, builds the wings using an out-of-autoclave resin transfer infusion process never before tried on a commercial aircraft. Both Airbus and Boeing use a more expensive process that requires an autoclave to cure the composite wings on the A350 and 787, respectively. Both of the MC-21’s chief competitors—the 737 Max and A320—use metal wings.
While UAC’s definitive plans call for that innovation to extend to the smaller, 150-seat MC-21-200, Slyusar suggested it has seriously revisited prospects for a larger version in the form of the MC-21-400. At the time of the rollout, Slyusar said discussions about the larger variant could start this year, but that any decision would depend on what competition ultimately exists in the segment of the market the MC-21 would occupy, or the so-called “Middle of the Market (MOM).”
“We should take into consideration the plans of our colleagues; that’s why we [plan to] make a decision rationally,” he said.
In terms of production capacity, Irkut claims it could build as many as 72 aircraft a year in the newly refurbished and modernized final assembly hall in Irkustk. While the company’s need—or ability—to deliver six airplanes per month won’t likely materialize for several years, the production plan satisfies the company’s projected demand for 1,060 MC-21s over the next two decades. Slyusar, meanwhile, expressed satisfaction with the early level of commercial interest in the product: so far Irkut has firm orders for 175 MC-21s.
Although Irkut and UAC claim they have received payments on all sales contracts signed so far, some of the intended customers have said they would firm their “preliminary orders” after the first flight or when the airplane demonstrates advertised performance during flight-testing.
Sergei Chemezov, general manager of state-owned Rostec, expressed optimism about the export potential of the new jetliner, most notably in the developing markets of Southeast Asia, Latin America, India and the Middle East. Rostec has long projected a presence in those regions selling weapons and now wants to expand its footprint through civilian projects. “We are ready to render complete support to United Aircraft promoting the MC-21 to these markets,” said Chemezov.
Aeroflot expects to receive its first MC-21 from Rostec-controlled lessor AviaCapitalService in 2019. Other lessors and financial institutions committed to the project are Ilyushin Finance, VEB and Savings Bank of Russia, while only two Russian airlines signed direct contracts with the manufacturer: Nordwind for five jets and IrAero for 10. Holding a commitment for six MC-21-300s, Egypt’s Cairo Aviation stands as the only confirmed non-Russian customer for the airplane. Malaysia’s Crecom Burj Resources placed a tentative order for 25 airplanes at Farnborough 2010 that has yet to become firm. Other carriers that have indicated interest are Russia’s Red Wings, Azerbaijan Airlines and Air Tanzania.
Meanwhile, UAC and China’s Comac established a joint venture last month to develop a 280-seat, 6,500-nm widebody, dubbed China-Russia Commercial Aircraft International Company (Craic; see Air Transport Update, page XX). The new widebody would cost between $13 billion and $20 billion to develop. Initially, the 75,000-pound-thrust-class engines for the new widebody would likely come from Rolls-Royce and/or GE Aviation, “which already have suitable models with the required thrust of 35 metric tons,” according to Slyusar. Later propulsion options could include a larger version of the Aviadvigatel PD14 now undergoing testing by the Russian design house in Perm called the PD35. The Chinese side has also expressed a desire to develop a turbofan of its own to power the airplane and last year consolidated several state-owned companies to establish the new Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC).  
 
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