RuAviation

The first production-standard MC-21-310 aircraft in an extensively localised configuration completed its maiden flight on 3 August, marking the start of flight activity for the first aircraft from the initial production batch at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant.

Aircraft 73362, manufacturer’s number MC.0014, flew for 1 hour 23 minutes. Yakovlev said its production system was ready to support an initial batch of 18 aircraft, with final-assembly and flight-test procedures being conducted in parallel with the certification campaign. The company is seeking to reduce the interval between type certification and the start of customer deliveries.

Aircraft 73362 subsequently flew from Irkutsk to Ramenskoye near Moscow on 13 August, covering the route in 5 hours 50 minutes. The flight reached an altitude of 12,100 m and a maximum speed of 850 km/h. The aircraft is being used for ground-based certification work following its initial flight programme.

The MC-21-310 has a stated range of about 3,800 km with a 17.5-tonne payload, a configuration intended to cover most of the Russian domestic passenger market. Yakovlev estimates that, when based in Moscow, the aircraft could serve routes accounting for more than 80% of domestic passenger traffic. The company is also developing the shorter MC-21-210 variant for thinner and longer routes.

Certification flight testing continued throughout August. Aircraft 73057 conducted 14 flights, mainly evaluating the automatic flight-control system, flight-envelope protection, environmental control and pressurisation systems, as well as the fire-protection system. Aircraft 73055 completed six flights focused on inertial navigation, flight-management functions, communications range and the automatic radio direction finder. One flight by aircraft 73051 evaluated the radio altimeter.

The three aircraft completed a combined 21 flights during the month, with a total flight time of 71 hours 50 minutes. Aircraft 73057 also carried out taxi and high-speed ground runs to assess the braking system in automatic and backup modes and the nose-wheel steering system.

Testing included an evaluation of navigation and flight-management functions during an open-route flight from Ramenskoye to Grozny, rather than a return to the departure aerodrome. The test was conducted as part of the certification programme.

A second production MC-21-310, manufacturer’s number MC.0015, was transferred to Yakovlev’s flight-test unit at Irkutsk on 31 August. The aircraft is to undergo powered systems checks and engine ground runs before beginning factory flight testing.

MC.0015 retains French-made Saint-Gobain cockpit glazing. The aircraft, together with MC.0014 and MC.0016, entered production before the MC-21 programme switched to Russian-produced components. Subsequent aircraft have been fitted with glazing supplied by Russia’s ONPP Tekhnologiya, including aircraft 73055 and 73057 currently involved in flight testing.

The production changes extend beyond component substitution. At Yakovlev’s Komsomolsk-on-Amur production centre, the MC-21 door assembly process has been reorganised around a continuous production flow. The company said the revised process reduced the number of workstations by 40%, increased output per worker by 111% and more than doubled team productivity. The changes include mobile assembly fixtures, scheduled maintenance of tooling and the use of 3D-printed assembly templates.

The August activity indicates that the MC-21 programme is progressing on two parallel tracks: completion of certification testing and preparation of the production system for a transition to serial deliveries. The programme nevertheless remains dependent on completion of the certification campaign and the introduction of aircraft using the fully localised component set.