In 2018, the MC-21 project, which initially envisaged broad international co-operation, faced US sanctions. This led to restricted access of AeroComposite, the company responsible for the development of the aircraft’s wing, to foreign suppliers of carbon fibre and epoxy resins. As a result, the company was forced to look for alternative solutions, and the sanctions became an incentive to develop its own production base of polymer composite materials. Anatoly Gaidansky, the General Director of the JSC AeroComposite told about it on the platform of the IV Congress of young scientists.
The development of domestic composite materials for the wing of MS-21 was carried out by the specialists of Rosatom, in particular, by the profile division Yumatex, in co-operation with the Moscow State University. The materials were produced with strength characteristics comparable to the analogues planned for import. Now Russia has the technologies to ensure a full cycle of production, from oil refining to finished MS-21 wing elements.
According to Anatoly Gaidansky, the sanctions have created not only threats, but have also provided colossal opportunities.
‘Frankly speaking, if there had not been those sanctions of 2018, we would have sat on American composites and we would not have completely created our own industry of composite materials, which we have now, in principle, independent,’ Gaidansky said in his speech at the Congress.
The complete technological chain of composite materials production for MS-21 included the development of new formulations, optimisation of production processes and creation of the necessary infrastructure. At the same time, work was carried out to create and test new materials taking into account the specific requirements of the aviation industry, including strength, load resistance and durability. This set of works ensured technological sovereignty in the production of key components for MS-21 and future projects of the Russian aviation industry.
The sanctions have also launched the process of creating its own fleet of equipment for aircraft construction.
‘We would never go into equipment substitution. Of course, when it is supplied to you by a company that has been on the market for dozens of years and has hundreds of thousands of flying aircraft, it is quite difficult for a Russian company to make the first products cheaper, lighter, more reliable and functional than imports,’ explained the general director of AeroComposite.
He added that now there is no possibility to buy western equipment, so Russian industry, scientists and designers create it themselves.
‘… we’ll have our own equipment suppliers, who will be no worse than the Spanish or French, suppliers of avionics and basic systems, as Yumatex has already appeared. By the end of 2025, the MC-21 aircraft will be absolutely domestic, despite the sanctions. We are solving the task of making the aircraft only within our country and in 10-15 years we will definitely become world leaders,’ Anatoly Gaidansky is confident.
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