[Avionics Today 06-09-2016] Irkut Corp., a subsidiary of United Aircraft Corp., rolled the first MC-21 aircraft out of its factory for the first public debut of the passenger jet that the Russian airframer is launching as an option for commercial airlines. According to specifications released by Irkut, there are two planned versions of the MC-21: the 132 seat MC-21-200 and the 163 seat MC-21-300.
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| MC-21-300. Photo: Irkut Corp. |
The MC-21 has been launched to be “competitive in the global marketplace” as noted by Irkut Corp. President Oleg Demchenko, during the official MC-21 rollout ceremony.
Speaking during the conference, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the first flight of the MC-21 is planned “within a year.” In August 2015 Irkut announced the two fuselage sections of the first MC-21 prototype were mated, and proposed 2018 as the planned timeline for certification.
Irkut is using a standard Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) setup with an open architecture for the cockpit of the MC-21. The company also announced last year that the MC-21 will feature active control sidesticks for the cockpit of its airliner.
“The functional and technical characteristics of e functional a match the level of higher class aircraft, that is, the current generation wide-body airliners,” Irkut notes on the “Airborne Avionics” section of its website.
Irkut Corp. also manufactures Su-30 Russian fighter jets, and is working with different international suppliers for various aspects of the aircraft. For example, the engines are manufactured by Pratt & Whitney.