RuAviation

Acceptance testing has begun on the prototype MC-21 aircraft bearing tail number 73057 (factory code MC.0013) at the final assembly plant of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. Formerly registered as RA-73361, this aircraft has undergone comprehensive modifications as part of the import substitution program. Acceptance testing is the final step before factory development trials commence, according to a statement from the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).

The modernization program achieved complete replacement of all foreign-made components with Russian equivalents. Aircraft 73057 is the first MC-21 variant equipped with composite wings produced from Russian carbon fiber and resin materials. It is also fitted with PD-14 engines, Russian-made electrical power and hydraulic systems, actuators, an auxiliary power unit (APU), as well as domestically produced flight control computers, active sidestick controls, avionics, landing gear, and other key systems.

The prototype was preliminarily outfitted with a passenger cabin featuring Russian-made seats and equipment. Additionally, specialists at Irkutsk Aviation Plant employed import-substituted test equipment manufactured in Novosibirsk to validate the hydraulic system.

Tail number 73057 is the fifth prototype delivered to Irkutsk for upgrades and modifications in 2023. It completed its maiden flight in December 2021, making it the first fully import-substituted MC-21-310 model.

The current plan is to complete acceptance testing and then transfer the aircraft to the flight test center for its maiden flight with its new configuration. After factory development tests at Irkutsk, the aircraft will return to Zhukovsky’s Flight Test and Development Center at Yakovlev PJSC for certification flights of its Russian-made systems. Certification is expected to be completed by late summer 2026.