MAKS: Gearing up for MC-21 series production

Aviastar-SP will shortly begin producing shipsets for the first MC-21 pre-production batch (Irkut Corporation)

Ulyanovsk-based production facility Aviastar-SP has recently completed delivery of the shipset for the fourth prototype of the Irkut MC-21-300 airliner to Irkutsk Aviation Plant, which is gearing up to launch series assembly of Russia’s new generation narrowbody. The tail section of the fuselage was the last airframe component shipped to Irkutsk.

Aviastar-SP’s MC-21 Program Director Vitaliy Ignatiev says the enterprise is working on the fifth and sixth shipsets, which will be completed by year-end. Ignatiev confirms that series production of the aircraft will begin in 2017. In August this year Aviastar-SP plans to start assembling accessories for the first pre-production batch, which will consist of five production-conforming airliners. These aircraft are intended for deliveries to the launch customers.

The Ulyanovsk enterprise manufactures the MC-21’s doors, vertical and horizontal stabilizers, tail section, APU bay, and fuselage panels. Other manufacturers involved in MC-21 production are Voronezh Aircraft Production Association (VASO), which is in charge of the engine pylons, cowlings, and wing tips, and two facilities specializing in composite elements: AeroComposit and ORPE Technologiya.

The MC-21-300 has been in flight testing since May this year. The first stage of factory tests was completed in June. The test program is expected to continue until October.

By Valentin Makov