Irkut Corporation has received approval from Rosaviatsiya of the main changes to the standard design of the MC-21 aircraft, associated with the installation of the Russian engine PD-14, the wing made of composite materials of domestic production and the expansion of the expected conditions of the aircraft at low sub-zero temperatures, the Rosaviatsiya press service said.
Based on the results of the work, the type certificate FATA-01010A was reissued, with the addition of a new model MC-21-310. The documents confirming the changes in the airliner’s certificate were presented on December 28 in the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov.
In 2022, more than 160 successful test flights were made on the MC-21 aircraft equipped with a PD-14 power plant, and the test pilots of the Yakovlev design bureau tested the airliner under various operating conditions. During the tests, the PD-14 engine showed characteristics not inferior to those of foreign counterparts. In addition, the wing made of domestic composites passed a cycle of tests in TsAGI, which confirmed the declared strength parameters. Then the prototype aircraft with the Russian wing successfully performed a number of test flights, during which the aircraft’s performance characteristics were checked.
Alexander Neradko, head of Rosaviatsiya, congratulated his colleagues on the completion of the most important stage related to import substitution in the Russian aircraft industry: “The approval of the main changes to the standard design of the MC-21 aircraft, received today, is another achievement of the domestic aircraft industry, including the victory over sanctions. All tests of the aircraft were conducted in accordance with Russian and international standards. The new aircraft has shown excellent technical characteristics. The developer has an opportunity to move forward and take all necessary steps to introduce this aircraft type into production as soon as possible. Russian airlines are interested in beginning its operation in the near future.”
“Approval of the changes for the domestic engine and wing is an important milestone of the MC-21 project and the basis for the subsequent import substitution of all the aircraft’s aggregates. Some of them are currently already being bench-tested, and next year we will be ready to start testing these systems as part of the aircraft, so that by the end of 2024 we can certify a fully Russian aircraft and start serial production,” said UAC CEO Yury Slyusar.
