38 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2018
Irkut MC-21 – Order BookCustomer MC-21-200^ MC-300-21^ Options Notes
Nordwind Airlines 3 2
VEB Leasing 30 30 UTair (10)
Avia Capital
Services^50 All placed with AeroflotIlyushin Finance
Corporation^2822Red Wings Airlines (16)
AZAL Azerbaijan Airlines (LOI) (10)
VIM Airlines (LOI) (15)*
Saratov Airlines (LOI) (6)
Alrosa Airlines (LOI) (3+3)
Rostec 15 35 35
IrAero 10 10
Sberbank Leasing 20
Cairo Aviation 6 4
Angara Airlines 3 (LOI)
Tot al 15 185 103
Note: * VIM Airlines ceased operations October 2017Although not
a straightforward
process, this technology
results in extremely strong
composites that are used on the
MC-21’s centre wing box, the front and
rear spar, skin and stringers, totalling
30% of its construction.
A UAC delegation visited Wiener
Neustadt in Austria in August 2010
to study the technology of Diamond
Aircraft. Four prototypes of the MC-21
wing were commissioned, the first
delivered late in 2011 by German
suppler Premium AEROTEC, which
also builds A320 and A350 fuselage sec-
tions for Airbus. The respected Central
Aerohydrodynamic
Institute (TsAGI) based at
Zhukovsky, near Moscow, performed
numerous mechanical, structural and
acoustic tests on the four prototype
wing boxes, composite wings and fuse-
lage sections, all passing with flying
colours. This led JSC AeroComposite
to produce its initial wings and compo-
nents in 2015. However, it was during a
static load test at TsAGI in February 2017
that cracks were discovered between
the composite wing box and a titanium
beam, requiring reinforcement of this
section with 55lb (25kg) of extra carbon
fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) on the
prototype aircraft.
Flight Controls
Innovation can also be found in the
Rockwell Collins and UTC Aerospace
integrated fly-by-wire flight control
system that receives input from active
side-stick controllers, compared with
indirect input controllers used by Airbus
on the A320. The glass cockpit has four
9x12in (23x30cm) landscape primary
and secondary LCD-displays that mir-
ror those used on the Boeing 737 MAX
family, with a large multifunctional
display on the centre pedestal.
Close to the side-stick controllers are
the Jeppesen-supplied electronic flight
bag screens including all the necessary
documents pre-loaded. The MC-21
has a health monitoring and enhanced
vision-system, with head-up displays
optional. Standardised avionics from
Honeywell, Thales and Concern Radio-
Electronic Technologies (KRET) will also
guarantee three-fold redundancy.
By selecting Pratt & Whitney geared
turbofan (GTF) powerplants Irkut
secured itself the latest engine technol-
ogy that should give, the manufacturer
says, a 21-24% fuel-burn cost advantage.
The PW1400G-JM has the same 81in
(206cm) fan diameter as the PW1100
used on the A320neo, but at 28,000-31,000lb it has been de-rated compared
with 33,000lb thrust setting used by the
neo. The jet’s nacelles are manufacturer
by Bombardier’s Belfast facility.
United Engine Corporation (UEC)
partner Aviadvigatel offers a home-
developed alternative, the all-new
PD-14. While not as advanced as the
GTF, it has a 75in (190cm) diameter fan
with titanium blades, an 8:1 bypass ratio
and 3D combustor technology, reducing
fuel consumption by around 10-15%
over current generation engines. Rated
between 31,000 and 34,000lb, it has
been undergoing flight testing since
late 2015.
Irkut Corporation is proud of the
aircraft’s spacious cabin. It has retained
the wide cross section of the original
Yak-242 design. The cabin’s internalTOP • The prototype
MC-21, ‘001’ makes a
low-speed pass down
the runway at the
Irkutsk Aviation Plant
at the end of its maiden
flight on May 28 last
year.Irkut engineers testing
the cockpit instruments
and systems prior to the
aircraft’s maiden flight.