The first mass-produced MC-21-310 aircraft, built using entirely Russian-made components, has taken to the skies for the first time, the state-run Joint Aviation Corporation (OAK) has said.
The narrow-body airliner had been in development since 2017, with the original model, the MC-21-300, powered by US-made Pratt & Whitney engines.
The sweeping Western sanctions imposed on Russia’s aviation industry in the wake of the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022 jeopardized the project and prompted Moscow to push for a fully domestically built variant. The MC-21-310 is powered by PD-14, the first next-generation turbofan aircraft engine developed in modern Russia, which was introduced last year.
The new plane made its maiden flight on Monday at the testing airfield of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. The passenger jet stayed airborne for an hour and a half, reaching heights of up to 6,000 meters and speeds of up to 600 km/h, according to the OAK.
Footage released by the corporation shows the airliner accompanied by a Yak-130 jet trainer, the crew of which filmed the flight.
“Today, the Irkutsk Aviation Plant confirmed its readiness to manufacture the first batch of 18 MC-21 aircraft and to begin work on subsequent orders,” OAK CEO Vadim Badekha said. The first batch is expected to be delivered to Russia’s flagship carrier Aeroflot.
Russian President Vladimir Putin toured the Irkutsk plant last month, inspecting the airliner, which was being readied for its first flight. At the time, the CEO of the plant, Andrey Soynov, said the facility was seeking to expand its serial production capacities to produce at least 36 MC-21 airliners per year.