ightglobal.com 18-31 August 2015 | Flight International | 37
RUSSIA
IRKUTthe MC-21, using lower-temperature and less
complex ovens to cure the resin. Irkut part-
nered initially with Austria’s Diamond Aircraft
and FACC to build the first prototypes with the
assistance of Russian supplier AeroComposite.
The role played by Diamond and FACC has
ended, but AeroComposite and Irkut continue
to make progress in early testing.
Demchenko is well aware of the risks of in-
troducing an all-new structural technology in
a new aircraft.
“Some people are trying to explain to me
that I am making a mistake because the risks
are very high. Yes, the risks we are taking are
very high. But if I try to plan my aircraft from
the very beginning with a metal wing I
wouldn’t be able to sell a single aircraft,”
Demchenko says. “If we want to be competi-
tive in the market, the quality of the aircraft
should be different than the existing aircraft.
Of course, when we are talking about these
new technologies not all of them are devel-
oped and assessed and evaluated.”
The MC-21 was launched with significant
contribution from Western suppliers. So far,
neither sanctions imposed by Western gov-
ernments nor a recent push by Russian gov-
ernment and industry officials for more local
industry content has altered the supply chain.
But pressure is growing as local companies,
such as KRET and Technodynamics, appeal
for greater involvement in such programmes.
KRET and Technodynamics represent the
Russian equivalent of Western Tier 1 suppli-
ers such as Rockwell Collins, Thales and
Honeywell. Each has vast experience on mili-
tary programmes, but less participation in
commercial aircraft designed to meet Western
certification standards.MEETING REQUIREMENTS
According to Demchenko, Irkut’s policy is to
consider all such proposals, but the aspiring
Russian suppliers must prove they can pass
certification requirements in order to partici-
pate in the programme.MC-21 cockpit: Irkut has focused on making the aircraft attractive in a hotly contested market
The first aircraft to emerge from Irkut’s factory
is expected to be the 180-seat MC-21-300Irkut“If our aircraft takes 10-15%
of the market... I would say
I did not waste my time”
OLEG DEMCHENKO
President, Irkut
task, you know. This is really hard labour.”
The challenge for Irkut includes not only
the strategic confrontation with Airbus and
Boeing. To make the MC-21 attractive to cus-
tomers in an already hotly-contested market,
Irkut committed to a suite of advanced tech-
nologies to make the aircraft’s performance as
attractive as possible. The basic technology
for some selections, such as Pratt & Whitney’s
PW1400G, has been proven on other pro-
grammes. But Irkut decided to be an industry
pioneer in some areas, particularly a new
kind of weight-saving composite technology.
Airbus and Boeing have long-established
composite manufacturing processes, but still
use autoclaves to cure the carbonfibre rein-
forced plastic resin found in load-bearing
structures of commercially certificated aircraft.
But Irkut has leapfrogged that approach on
the wingbox, wing panels and wing spars for
“Our project is an open one,” Demchenko
says. “Our Russian companies will be able
to produce equipment with our technical
requirement specification. So we shall per-
form the aircraft tests with those products.
Why not?”
Although the supply chain remains open,
Irkut’s product strategy is tightly focused at
the moment. The first aircraft to emerge
from its Irkutsk factory will be the 180-seat
MC-21-300. It will be followed by the debut
of the 150-seat MC-21-200. There were also
plans for a 220-seat MC-21-400 to complete
the family, but Irkut has shelved that plan.
Although customer interest in a Boeing 757
replacement is heating up – and the original
design for the MC-21-400 more closely
matched the 757’s size than Airbus’ and
Boeing’s nearest rivals – Irkut remains fo-
cused on the MC-21-300.
“We have chosen the -300 as the starter,”
Demchenko says. “We are new players in the
market. So now we have invested all our ef-
fort in the -300, so the customer should be
confident in our efficiency and our capability
to build and deliver the aircraft.” ■IrkutIrkut