What does the first flight of the new MC-21 airliner mean for Russia?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

A significant event took place in Russian civil aviation. The first newest long-haul aircraft, the MS-21, took to the skies, the first since the times of the Soviet Union. The success of this project is of great importance for the country, as it will allow Russian aviation to take off to new heights. Moreover, to climb above the world aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus.

The first news about the successful test flight of the MC-21 on Sunday, May 28, 2017, was posted on his Facebook page by the Vice President of Russia Dmitry Rogozin, who also published photographs of the aircraft in flight.

Russia did not start a huge show with a live broadcast from the first flight, as they like to do in the West. For the first time MC-21 got on the wing in a quiet “family” circle. However, the successful flight, of course, was reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Rogozin called him, and the president had already recruited the head of the Irkut corporation, the general designer of the OKB im. Yakovlev Oleg Demchenko and congratulated him and the staff of the enterprise on this important event.

However, after a series of test flights, it is possible that a public flight of the MC-21 will take place with the participation of journalists and cameras.

In the meantime, the Irkut corporation themselves told about the first flight of the MC-21-300 airliner. It passed normally, all systems of the machine worked without failures. The flight lasted 30 minutes at an altitude of 1,000 meters at a speed of 300 km / h. The flight plan included checking the aircraft for stability and controllability, as well as engine controllability. “In accordance with the program, during the flight, an approach was simulated with the subsequent passage over the runway, climb and turn. This technique is typical for the first flight of new types of aircraft,”the press service of the Irkut corporation reported.

MC-21 was piloted by a crew consisting of test pilot, Hero of Russia Oleg Kononenko and test pilot, Hero of Russia Roman Taskaev. According to Kononenko, "the flight mission has been completed in full." “The flight went on as usual. No objections were found to hinder the continuation of the tests,”the pilot noted. "The characteristics and operating modes of the engines have been confirmed, all aircraft systems worked without failures," Taskaev added.

It was planned to start flight tests in April, but then they were postponed to the end of May. In early May, it became known about the preparation of the liner for a test flight after the first copy left the workshop on May 4. The head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said then that the first flight would be a matter of several weeks.

It took 24 days from the moment of rolling out of the workshop to the first test flight. However, rolling out the aircraft from the workshop does not mean that the aircraft should fly right away. “First, work is done in the open air: the plane is refueled, the tanks are checked for leaks, the entire complex fuel supply system and other systems are working, the engine is started. A photo appeared on the Internet where a fire engine was standing next to the MC-21. This is also a normal practice: a fire brigade is needed when the engine is first started, because it has never been started. This is a safety technique - that's all,”says Roman Gusarov, head of the Avia.ru portal.

“After checking all the systems, the plane starts to roll slowly along the taxiways. The next stage: they begin to give the take-off mode and accelerate the plane along the runway, first simply with braking, then with raising the front pillar. And only after everything has been checked a thousand times - here haste only hurts - the first flight is carried out, the source adds.

This is a revolution

For Russia, the first flight of the MC-21 is not just the completion of a long-term stage of work of a huge team and the birth of a new aircraft. It is also the assimilation of modern, advanced technologies that Russia did not have until recently, Gusarov notes.

While the MC-21 was just preparing for flight, on May 5, 2017, its Chinese competitor C919 had already completed its first flight.

However, there can be no question of Russia's lagging behind China. In addition, the Russian airliner is much more revolutionary than the Chinese one. And in many respects, according to the developer, the MC-21 will be much better than its classmates from the world giants Airbus and Boeing, namely Airbus A319neo and Boeing 737 MAX (with improved engines).

“The MC-21 uses the latest technologies that have not yet been developed in the world. And in such a revolutionary spirit, of course, there is a huge share of risk - it will work out or not. However, we were left with no choice. If the aircraft is made using traditional technologies, then it will definitely not be better than Boeing and Airbus. They have squeezed out of the classic design everything that is possible. Only by taking a step forward, taking risks, you can win. To enter such a highly competitive market, it is necessary for our aircraft to significantly surpass Western competitors in basic parameters. Otherwise it will not be possible to break through,”says Gusarov.

If we compare it with the SSJ-100, and this is the first civilian aircraft created from scratch after the USSR, then on this liner Russia, in fact, learned to create modern aircraft from scratch and to certify them in the West. “The SCA themselves say that this is a school desk,” Gusarov notes. And although the SSJ-100 is a completely modern and worthy airliner, not inferior to its classmates in flight performance and economy, the MS-21 is still a step forward.

“With MS-21 we are already trying not to catch up, but to overtake in some way. The glider designs of the Boeing-737 and Airbus A-320 aircraft are many decades old. They change the filling, they constantly modernize, but they were not ready to risk enough to create a new structure. There is a rule in the world aircraft industry: if there are more than 30% of innovations in an airplane, then this is a huge risk. Therefore, the western manufacturer is trying not to introduce such a number of innovations into the aircraft,”says Gusarov. And Russia took the risk to create an aircraft superior to Western competitors in terms of the main parameters, because this is the only way to wedge itself into the steel duopoly of Boeing and Airbus.

Key exam

Therefore, so far no one can say how smoothly everything will go. And no matter how important the first test flight of the MC-21 is, the work does not end there. The first flight will be followed by an important key test for the aircraft, for the designers and for everyone who created this aircraft. These are flight (factory) tests and subsequent certification of the aircraft. During factory tests, the reliability of all systems will be checked, their compliance with the technical specifications, and all possible flaws will be eliminated.

“Only when the plane is certified will it be possible to say that the creators of the plane have achieved success. It is not enough to create an aircraft; it is still necessary to prove that it is reliable, safe and meets all modern requirements for civil aircraft. And not only Russian, but also European. These requirements apply not only to the aircraft itself, but to all systems and materials right down to the last rivet. Everything is certified - from the design of the aircraft to the suppliers of components,”says Roman Gusarov.

According to the plan, it is planned to complete tests and certification in 2018, and deliveries of the first three aircraft are scheduled for 2019. However, how long it will take for flight and certification tests - one and a half to two years - is not important, the main thing is that the liner is certified. “Because many of the technologies that are used in the MC-21, not only in Russia, but all over the world, have not been used by anyone in the construction of an aircraft. Therefore, it is better not to rush, but to bring a good product to the market,”Gusarov said.

The latest Russian technologies

The most important Russian know-how in the creation of the MS-21 is the use of composite materials, the share of which in the structure should be 40%. And the main advantage is the composite wing. On narrow-body aircraft, such as the MS-21, neither Boeing nor Airbus has a composite wing. Only wide-body Boeing-787 Dreamliner and A350 aircraft have composite wings. However, Russia has developed its own composite technologies that make the wing cheaper and lighter.

We are talking about the infusion technology for creating a composite wing box for the MC-21 aircraft. Russia was the first to use this technology on an industrial scale, and even more so for the manufacture of large aircraft structures. The so-called black wing improves the aerodynamic quality of the aircraft in cruise flight.

“When the technologies that have been developed and mastered in Russia confirm their right to exist in terms of resource reliability and low cost, this will open up tremendous opportunities for the entire Russian aircraft industry. If the MC-21 receives a black wing due to these technologies, then all other aircraft that will be created in Russia will be able to build on this technology. And this creates huge advantages in terms of aircraft weight, aerodynamics, flight characteristics, and cost,”says Roman Gusarov. Therefore, Russia did not just take a big risk; if it wins, it will gain tremendous benefits.

Another pride of Russia is the "intelligence" of the MS-21 airliner. Russian specialists from Irkut, TsAGI and other companies belonging to the UAC have developed the newest, unparalleled software, which contains the algorithm and functions of aircraft control - many so-called foolproofing, which foreign aircraft do not have. They increase the safety of the aircraft and reduce the risks of the human factor when flying it.

For example, the MC-21 control system will protect the aircraft from the so-called stall, which occurs if the aircraft lifts its nose and loses speed, including in icy conditions, that is, when ice has formed on the wing. And for the first time on the MC-21, a limitation is introduced not only on the lift-up of the nose, but also on the roll angle, so that during the landing approach the aircraft does not touch the ground with its wing or nacelle (the place where the engine is located), said Oleg Panteleev from Aviaport. And this kind of automation function, which allows you to neutralize the side effects of "manual" control of the aircraft, according to him, there are still many in the MC-21. Of course, in many respects the element base is foreign, but the idea and development of "intelligence" is a purely Russian know-how.

In general, the MC-21 has everything the most modern, including the "heart" of the liner. The engine is the most complex and important part of the aircraft. For now, the Russian airliner will fly on the modern PW1400G engine from the American company Pratt & Whitney, which has already shown good performance. But especially for the MS-21, the PD-14 turbofan engine is also being created - the latest and completely domestic, from the United Engine Corporation (UEC). For the first time since the collapse of the USSR, Russia is building a new engine. In November 2015, the UEC began flight tests of the PD-14, and in 2018 it is planned to start mass production. As a result, customers themselves will be able to choose which engine to fly with. It is expected that the PD-14 will ensure the superiority of the MS-21 over the A320 and Boeing-737 aircraft and ensure parity with the engines that will be installed on the modernized A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

What else will the MS-21 be better than the upgraded A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX? The Russian liner will have better fuel consumption characteristics and lower direct operating costs. According to the developer, the operational characteristics of the MC-21 are reduced by 12-15% compared to the aircraft of the current generation and by 6-7% compared to their remotorized versions, that is, the A320neo and Boieng 737 MAX.

The cruising speed of the MS-21 is also higher than that of its European competitor - 870 km / h versus 828 km / h for Airbus. Even the Boeing 737 MAX with its 842 km / h is inferior to the Russian airliner. At the same time, the catalog cost of one MC-21 liner is $ 85 million. Whereas the Airbus A319neo costs from $ 97.5 to $ 124.4 million, depending on the modification, and the Boeing 737 MAX - from $ 90.2 to $ 116.6 million. The emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere of the MC-21 has been reduced by more than 20% compared to existing analogues.

In addition, designers have reduced aircraft turnaround times at the airport by as much as 20% compared to competitors. Together with the best fuel and weight efficiency, airlines will be able to earn additional up to $ 3 million for the operation of the MS-21.

Even inside the cabin, the Russian airliner is more comfortable. Thanks to the elongated fuselage, it was possible to make the passage between the seats wider, to make the embarkation and disembarkation of passengers, as well as cleaning the interior faster. All this means for airlines saving time on aircraft turnover at the airport, and therefore reducing their costs.

Market prospects

At the moment, the order book for the MS-21 is 285 aircraft. Of these, firm (advanced) contracts have been concluded for 175 aircraft, preliminary agreements have been reached for another 110 aircraft and framework agreements have been signed.

The largest customer is Aeroflot, which is going to operate 50 MC-21s. The first three should be received in 2019.

According to the plan, by 2018 the Irkut corporation will assemble the first four MS-21s and will gradually increase production volumes. By 2020, it will be produced by 20 aircraft per year, and by 2023 - by 70 airliners. It is quite possible to go into production of 60–70 vehicles a year, because in parallel with the creation of the MS-21, the plant was being modernized for its production, says Roman Gusarov.

“And it will not be difficult to sell 60–70 aircraft if the product comes with a full range of services - financing, loans, maintenance, spare parts. A manufacturer doesn't just sell a car, it sells the life cycle of an aircraft, from delivery to disposal. Today Boeing and Airbus produce over 600 aircraft per pair. With our 60–70 planes, we can easily wedge in, they will not even notice this competition from our side,”the expert concludes. But it will take much longer to accelerate to the same production volumes as Boeing and Airbus. Western aircraft manufacturers themselves have reached such volumes for decades.