Traditionally, the Eastern Economic Forum is held in Vladivostok in early September, where, as a rule, important documents in the field of civil aviation are signed. At the EEF-2024, United Aircraft Corporation and Yakovlev signed framework agreements with Smartavia, IrAero and Aurora, a unified airline in the Far East, for the supply of domestically produced aircraft.
The agreement between Yakovlev and Smartavia envisages the delivery of 45 MC-21-310 aircraft by 2035. In the future, the parties plan to negotiate with a lessor that will purchase the airliners for their subsequent transfer to Smartavia under financial lease. An agreement was signed with Aurora for the delivery of five MC-21-310s and two SJ-100s by 2035. This agreement was in addition to the earlier agreement between the airline and PJSC Yakovlev for the delivery of eight SJ-100s and a letter of intent for ten MC-21-310s. UAC and IrAero signed an agreement for the delivery of 21 SJ-100s, seven MC-21-310s and nine Tu-214s. The aircraft will be transferred to the airline on financial leasing terms also until 2035.
The agreements of intent (framework agreements) do not guarantee a firm contract for aircraft delivery, but they are aimed at understanding the demand for the airliner and allow the manufacturer to plan for years in advance for the expansion and modernisation of production and loading of the enterprise, as well as to negotiate with suppliers on the necessary quantity of components, units, aircraft systems, engines and the formation of a pool of spare parts. Thus, agreements for the manufacture of another 57 MC-21 aircraft can be transformed into firm contracts to be reached in the future.
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Stavropol Signal Radio Plant of Radioelectronic Technologies Corporation (KRET) will launch serial production of onboard electronics for SJ-100 and MC-21 airliners by the end of the year as part of the import substitution programme. The Concern will manufacture modules of the aircraft rudder drive control system. The equipment is being purchased and the necessary documentation is being drawn up. KRET has already delivered several sets to the customer for testing as part of prototype aircraft. By the end of 2024, it is planned to deliver several more aircraft kits.
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On 10 September, in an interview with the Vedomosti newspaper, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said that the creation of Russian analogues of systems and avionics also requires that the very design of the MC-21 aircraft be adapted for them.
‘You know that, unfortunately, our flagship project MC-21, which is supposed to compete with medium-range Boeing and Airbus, has been haunted by sanctions since 2014. First, the Americans refused to supply composites for the wing, and in 2022 a whole pool of foreign suppliers stopped working with the United Aircraft Corporation, which necessitated the replacement of 36 systems of the aircraft. [Q: what are the options for solving the problems associated with import substitution of units?] A good option would be to additionally make a version of the aircraft’s fuselage shortened by one section. This will allow airlines to operate the aircraft more efficiently, taking into account the resulting weight characteristics, while maintaining the original parameters for the flight range with a load of 140-150 people,’ the Deputy Prime Minister said.
This part of the interview sounded from Denis Manturov as an acknowledgement of the necessity to develop a smaller passenger capacity aircraft in the process of import substitution, which was perceived by some part of our citizens as negative, although it is far from being so. At the initial stage of the MC-21 project development, the Yakovlev Engineering Centre of Irkut Corporation developed two versions of the aircraft: the basic MC-21-200, and the enlarged version -300, which was planned to be an extended version. However, at the technical design stage, the then UAC management decided to focus on the MC-21-300 version. In the import-substituted form, the aircraft are labelled -310 and -210 respectively.
Andrey Boginsky, CEO of Yakovlev PJSC, spoke about the start of work on MC-21-210 in April this year during a meeting with the heads of the company’s departments while introducing Andrey Barbin, the new director of the Design Bureau of the Engineering Centre, to the staff of the Engineering Centre.
‘Andrey Yurievich [Barbin] possesses the necessary professional qualities and personal competences that will allow him to effectively solve the tasks to bring MC-21-310 into production, launch the MC-21-210 project, modernise Yak-130, continue work on Yak-152, as well as unite the two design bureaus and improve design quality,’ Andrey Boginsky said on 24 April.
‘Andrey Yurievich possesses the necessary professional qualities and personal competencies that will allow him to effectively address the tasks at hand to bring MC-21-310 into production, launch the MC-21-210 project, modernise the Yak-130, continue work on the Yak-152, as well as unite the two design bureaus and improve the quality of design,’ Andrey Boginsky said on 24 April.
In mid-September, personnel changes took place at Yakovlev. Alexander Dolotovsky was appointed deputy CEO of Yakovlev PJSC – director of the MC-21 programme. ‘I expect, Alexander Viktorovich, that you will bring to the MC-21 programme the standards and management culture that have been developed over the years of SSJ100 development and production. I expect you to make balanced decisions aimed at getting results,’ the Yakovlev CEO said.
He also instructed Dolotovsky to formulate proposals on the staffing of the MC-21 Programme Coordination Department and updating the composition of the project management team within two weeks based on the status of the MC-21 prototypes. Andrey Boginsky added that the MC-21 programme has opened a project for a ‘shortened’ modification – MC-21-210. The project will receive a separate head within the management team, candidates for this position are being considered.
At the same time, back in the summer of 2021, Irkut CEO Ravil Khakimov said that design documentation has been developed for the MC-21-200 and MC-21-400 versions. ‘As soon as the MC-21-300 version starts flying in airlines, depending on the demand, we will most likely take on the MC-21-400 project, i.e. it is a medium-haul aircraft that can carry up to 260 passengers. And depending on the demand we will look at launching MC-21-200,’ Ravil Khakimov said at the time. He explained that it will happen not earlier than 2024-2025.
It follows from this that the MC-21-210 aircraft is now receiving increased attention at PJSC Yakovlev, but there is nothing new in this project. The MC-21-210 will be a medium-haul aircraft with the number of seats from 132 to 165 passengers, 12500 kgf thrust engines and a range of up to 6400 kilometres. In terms of import substitution, no separate work on the -210 is required, as it will be fully compliant in systems and equipment with the import-substituted version of the -310, work on which is currently underway. The shortened version of the aircraft is needed to close the passenger capacity gap between the MC-21-310 and the SJ-100 and to provide non-stop flights on longer routes.
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Following the results of personnel decisions at PJSC Yakovlev, MC-21 Programme Director Alexander Dolotovsky outlined the primary tasks for the coming year to complete import substitution and launch the aircraft into commercial operation. He noted that the primary tasks are to pass certification flight tests of the import-substituted MC-21 models, as well as to launch the creation of the MC-21-210. It is also necessary to ensure rhythmic serial production and start commercial operation of MC-21-310 aircraft.
Dolotovsky, who has not been directly involved in the MC-21 programme until recently, but has previous experience in the Superjet 100 programme, stressed that the principles of management and life cycle stages in aviation programmes are unified, the chain of cooperation has already been practically aligned, and with the promotion of the decision to create a single Engineering Centre, the technical expertise and experience gained in the Superjet 100 programme will be organically intertwined on one platform with the experience and competencies gained in the MC-21 programme.
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TsAGI conducted tests of the MC-21 stabiliser caisson made of domestic polymer composite materials (PCM) at the request of PJSC Yakovlev. The purpose of the tests was to confirm the static strength of the structure at ultimate loads.
On an isolated stand, previously used for similar studies of units made of imported PCMs, experiments with the stabiliser caisson were carried out for general and local strength, in particular, the level of stress state of the linkage, rudder and stabiliser repositioning mechanism was determined. In addition, loads exceeding the design values by more than 150 per cent were realised on the caisson. This is more than the load at which the imported composite unit failed.
To prepare a certification opinion on the strength of the MC-21 stabiliser, the results of the experiments have been handed over to PJSC Yakovlev. At the moment, TsAGI is conducting strength tests of imported reinforced glass of passenger cabin portholes. In the near future, studies of the airliner’s cockpit windows and floor elements made in Russia will start.
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In September 2024, one flight of the MC-21-310 prototype aircraft was performed – 23 September, flight 73051 in Zhukovsky. The flight duration was about 3.5 hours.
A source of the Russian Aviation website at the Gromov LII said that new Russian fuel filters were installed on the 73051 aircraft in September under the import substitution programme. ‘The main task of the flight is determining the thrust of the PD-14 in take-off mode. The crew worked over the runway in the altitude range from 30 to 2,200 metres, as well as – in the zone not higher than 2,000 metres,’ the source specified. He added that the complex tested the work of the integrated system of backup devices (ISRP-21) of domestic production (JSC ‘Ulyanovsk Instrument Design Bureau’, KRET).
The ISRP is designed for autonomous determination of the aircraft spatial position: roll, pitch, magnetic heading, as well as altitude-velocity parameters: barometric altitude, instrument speed, vertical speed. In addition, the system provides the crew with pilotage and navigation data, information on engine parameters, aircraft location coordinates, text emergency, warning and notification signalling information.
