MC-21-310 With Russian Systems Completes First Flight
ID 200339814 © Pavel Byrkin | Dreamstime.com
Russia’s aerospace industry has marked a major milestone. On April 23, 2025, the MC-21-310 medium-range airliner equipped with an all-new suite of domestically produced systems completed its maiden flight from the Irkutsk Aviation Plant’s airfield.
Flight Details
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Aircraft: MC-21-310 (Tail number 73055 / Serial MS.0012)
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Flight duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
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Altitude: 3,000 meters
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Speed: 580 km/h
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Crew: Test pilots Alexander Guskov and Hero of Russia Roman Taskaev, flight test engineers Alexander Popov and Alexander Solovyev
This flight marks the start of factory fine-tuning trials. Afterward, the aircraft will head to Zhukovsky for certification testing.
Key Milestone In Import Substitution
This flight is part of Russia’s import substitution program, replacing Western systems with Russian alternatives. The updated MC-21-310 now features:
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Russian avionics suite
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New navigation, communication, and flight control systems
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Domestic air conditioning, pressure regulation, and lighting systems
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Russian auxiliary power unit
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Hydraulic systems and landing gear components
Two MC-21-310 aircraft (tail numbers 73055 and 73057) will participate in these trials. Both were previously used for certification flights with foreign components.
New Engines Installed
The aircraft was originally flown to Irkutsk in July 2023. While there, the PD-14 engines used during earlier certification flights were removed and sent to Perm for evaluation. New PD-14s were later installed for continued flight testing.
Delays in the test schedule—originally expected to resume in 2023—highlight the challenges of creating replacement systems from scratch. Specialists only approved the flight once all systems demonstrated reliable functionality.
What’s Next
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Certification target: End of 2025
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Commercial service: From 2026
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Other aircraft in development: SJ-100 and Il-114-300, both also undergoing certification with 100% Russian components
The successful flight of the MC-21-310 marks a significant achievement in Russia’s efforts to create a fully domestically sourced commercial aircraft, following Western sanctions and supply chain disruptions.
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