In April 2025, the certification of the Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) on the MC-21-310 ‘Iron Bird’ is scheduled to commence

Stand “iron bird” of MC-21 / Photo by © GosNIIAS press service

As part of a collaboration with PJSC Yakovlev, the State Research Institute of Aviation Systems (GosNIIAS) has developed ‘Iron Bird’ partial-replica integration rigs for the MC-21 and SJ-100 passenger aircraft. This was announced by GosNIIAS.

The rigs are fully-fledged models of the onboard equipment, where the development and testing of the IMA are carried out. The use of ‘Iron Birds’ significantly accelerates the development process, reduces costs and increases the safety level of tests, thus facilitating a more rapid introduction of new types of aircraft to the market.

Currently, GosNIIAS and PJSC Yakovlev are conducting work to integrate domestically sourced equipment onto the new ‘Iron Bird’ designed for the MC-21-310 aircraft. The rig will be used for certification work required to extend the type certificate for this aircraft. Institute specialists are also carrying out final checks on the methodological documentation that will be used for conducting ground certification tests of the domestically sourced IMA, which are scheduled to start in April 2025.

The MC-21-310 ‘Iron Bird’ rig, developed in 2024, is distinguished by its layout and the technical solutions used. These solutions are aimed at optimising the work of test engineers, designers and maintenance personnel, ensuring the possibility for several groups of specialists to work simultaneously. This increases the efficiency of the rig, reduces the likelihood of equipment damage during operation and speeds up the IMA testing process.

Improvements have also affected the functionality of the new rig. Unlike the ‘Iron Bird’ for the SJ-100, the new rig incorporates a suite of radio-technical system simulators. It provides the ability to conduct rig tests of radio-technical navigation, landing, surveillance and communication systems, modelling the radio environment in real-time. This innovation allows for more comprehensive and accurate IMA testing under conditions that closely resemble real-world operations.

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