RuAviation

At the X International Week of Aerospace Technologies, which took place at the Moscow Aviation Institute, Oleg Nesterov, Deputy General Director for Logistics, Procurement and Logistics, made a presentation, from which it follows that the first flight of the fully import-substituted MS-21 aircraft is planned to be performed in 2024. This aircraft will be MC-21 prototype 73057 (factory MC.0013).

The aircraft previously had registration 73361, its wing is made of Russian PCM, its original powerplant is two geared PW1400G TPDDs, and now the IAZ is in the process of remotorising it for PD-14 engines. In autumn 2022, the aircraft flew for certification of the Russian composite wing. Now 36 more systems, including auxiliary power plant, fuel and hydraulic systems, need to be replaced on this aircraft. 33 systems are already in the testing phase.

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On 22 November, after the transfer of the procedure for manufacturing the auxiliary power unit compartment of the MC-21 airliner from the Aviastar plant in Ulyanovsk to the Irkutsk Aircraft Plant, the assembly of the first unit was completed in workshop 225 of the Irkutsk Aircraft Plant. The compartment for the domestic auxiliary power unit TA-18-200MS has been painted, and the on-board cable network and indication units are being installed on it. After that, the compartment will be transferred to the final assembly shop, where specialists will mount the unit on the aircraft.

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Acceptance of the innovative dry carbon fibre laying robot for the manufacture of power composite elements of the MS-21 aircraft structure took place at the Dmitrov branch of Bauman Moscow State Technical University. Andrey Boginsky, Director General of Yakovlev, Anatoly Gaidansky, Director General of AeroComposite CJSC, and Mikhail Gordin, Rector of Bauman Moscow State Technical University, visited the Moscow Region branch of the university where they inspected and evaluated the functionality of the robotised complex.

The robot stacker developed jointly by PJSC “Yakovlev” and CJSC “AeroComposite” is designed to automate the process of dry carbon tape stacking during the production of composite wing of MS-21 aircraft. Thanks to co-operation with Bauman Moscow State Technical University, a robot capable of laying long length structures of the wing cantilevers of the airliner was developed. The lay-out head itself was developed by the Platov South Russian State Polytechnic University. N.I. Platov, which is located in Novocherkassk in the Rostov region. A serial sample of the Russian robotic complex will soon be sent to Ulyanovsk, to the AeroComposite production site.

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On 18 November in the evening, the emergency abandonment tests of the MC-21 aircraft took place at the Flight Test and Development Complex of the Yakovlev Design Bureau in Zhukovsky. Flight 73056 was chosen for the tests. The purpose of the tests was to confirm the possibility of emergency evacuation of 219 people: 211 passengers and 8 crew members within the specified time limits.

On 17 November GosNIIAS hosted a meeting of the Scientific Council on Control Theory and Processes, during which Deputy Director General, Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences N.I. Selvesyuk demonstrated a line of virtual and semi-natural stands created by the Institute: a universal stand for prototyping the cockpit information and control field, procedural simulators for crew training, stands for testing individual on-board functions and systems, semi-natural test complexes for testing and integration of on-board equipment – “Electronic Birds”.

Nikolay Selvesyuk stressed that the wide use of mathematical modelling, the use of end-to-end design technologies and unification of hardware and software solutions in semi-naturals allow to significantly accelerate the design of modern aircraft onboard equipment.

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In order to expand the production of MS-21 aircraft, Irkutsk Aircraft Plant is increasing the number of engineers and workers. Currently, the plant employs about 13,000 people. According to Yuri Slyusar, General Director of UAC, the plant should attract about 4.5 thousand specialists within five years in order to realise the set tasks. IAZ General Director Alexander Veprev added that in the next three years the plant will create over two thousand jobs, mostly high-tech jobs.

The business portal “Production Management” notes that IAZ has to rely on the human potential of Irkutsk and the region, as there are limited opportunities to attract specialists from other regions. The European part and the industrial Urals are better off than Irkutsk in terms of quality of life. The Far East and even neighbouring Buryatia – by the level of benefits and preferences provided to remote regions by the state budget.

A few years ago, there was a period in the history of IAZ when, against the background of a temporary reduction in the production programme, the plant reduced the number of personnel on a command from above. The result was not only the loss of qualified personnel, but also the deterioration of the plant’s reputation as an employer. The negative plume of those years is still felt by the plant’s HR-specialists.

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Belavia plans to increase its fleet by buying Russian aircrafts MS-21 and SJ-100 in the conditions of sanctions, said the airline’s general director Igor Cherginets.

“If we talk about the prospects of the airline’s fleet. Yes, we are now booked to Boeing, Airbus, Embraer and other manufacturers. There are not so many of them. We are conducting very tight negotiations, preparing agreements with the United Aircraft Corporation of Russia for the purchase of MS-21 and SJ-100 aircraft. They are partially already being tested there, with different engines. The planes are not ready yet, but I really hope that this will happen and we will be able to acquire and increase the airline’s fleet,” Cherginets said.

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On 1 November, Flight 73054 performed a 1 hour 10 minute transport flight from Voronezh to Zhukovsky with the UAC commission, which the same aircraft had earlier delivered to VASO for the first flight of the IL-96-400M.

In November, one flight of Flight 73051 took place under the certification test programme for the MC-21-310 version. On 29 November the aircraft spent 3 hours and 47 minutes in the air. The flight task required no icing, but November weather in the Moscow region did not allow to perform more flights, icing was observed almost daily. Additional non-standard sensors are installed on this aircraft, and even a small amount of ice can affect their readings.

The PD-14 engine control system consists of an electronic regulator with full responsibility (FADEC type) RED-14 and an executive hydromechanical part. The regulator provides operational diagnostics and engine protection, complex all-mode control, limits the limiting parameters, and also makes it possible to conduct information exchange with the aircraft and engine systems.

To increase the reliability of PD-14 operation, a mathematical model of the engine is built into the electronic regulator to detect and prevent failures of the control system. The software part of the electronic controller was developed using qualified tools for software development and verification. The flight on 29 November was performed with the task of evaluating the new software of the EDR-14 regulator.