RuAviation

Russia’s MC-21 programme has reached a new milestone with the maiden flight of its first production aircraft, as certification testing and industrial preparation continue ahead of entry into service.

The aircraft, serial number MS.0014 and registered 73362, completed an 83-minute flight from the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. Flying at an altitude of 6,000 m and an indicated airspeed of 600 km/h, the crew assessed handling qualities, stability and the performance of domestically developed onboard systems incorporated under the programme’s import-substitution effort. The aircraft completed the planned test profile without reported issues.

Unlike the four aircraft currently assigned to certification testing, the new airframe was manufactured using serial production processes and is intended to validate the final stages of industrial assembly, production flight testing and aircraft acceptance. The exercise is designed to reduce the interval between certification and customer deliveries by maturing production procedures before type approval is granted.

According to United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), the Irkutsk production line is now prepared to manufacture an initial batch of 18 MC-21-310 aircraft. The company said the experience gained from assembling and flight-testing the first production example will be used to improve production flow and support the planned increase in manufacturing output.

Certification activities continue in parallel using four development aircraft – 73051, 73054, 73055 and 73057. Between January and July 2026, the fleet completed 136 flights totalling 509 h 52 min, with aircraft 73055 and 73057 undertaking the majority of certification sorties. Russian industry officials estimate that approximately half of the certification flight-test programme has now been completed before deliveries to launch operators begin.