Russia's fully import-substituted MC-21 should take to skies in August - Industry and Trade Minister Alikhanov
MOSCOW. July 1 (Interfax) - Flight tests of the fully import-substituted version of the MC-21 aircraft should begin in August this year, Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov said during a meeting of the Federation Council committee on economic policy.
"Our colleagues from United Aircraft Corporation plan that the aircraft will take off fully import- substituted, with all domestic systems, in August," Alikhanov said.
The partially imported MC-21 with a Russian PD-14 engine began certification flights earlier, Alikhanov recalled.
"Certification flights of the Superjet are underway, and they should be completed this year," Alikhanov added.
In addition, Alikhanov reported on efforts to reduce the weight specifications of the MC-21. "We will work on weight reduction. I recently visited Ulyanovsk, where there is a production facility called Aerocomposite manufacturing wings for the MC-21. Technical solutions already exist and will be implemented soon - each wing will become approximately 200 kg lighter," he said.
The MC-21-310 is the base version of the MC-21 aircraft family being developed by Yakovlev (part of PJSC UAC under Rostec). According to the developer's website, the airliner can carry up to 211 passengers over a distance of 5,100 km, with a maximum commercial payload of 21.3 tonnes. The start of serial production, based on the latest official data, is planned for 2026. Previous deadlines have been postponed several times.
Initially, the aircraft was developed through international cooperation, but after the imposition of anti-Russian sanctions, foreign partners withdrew from the project, necessitating accelerated import substitution of systems and components. It was reported that the "Russified" MC-21-310 turned out heavier than expected, preventing it from achieving the declared flight range. A potential solution could be the production of a version with a fuselage shortened by one section, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said. The shortened version, the MC-21-210, will reportedly accommodate approximately 160-170 passengers, Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov told Interfax.
