Clearer photo also with wings already joined, though sans radome at the time:
Not for the first time, I note how the revised (6 window as opposed to the earlier 4) cockpit configuration makes it look like a member of the same family as the Superjet... more likely than not intentionally so, I expect.
Сегодня случилось знаковое событие в отечественной авиационной отрасли — на Иркутском авиационном заводе выкатили первый летный экземпляр среднемагистрального лайнера МС-21-300 В торжественном мероприятии участвовали руководители страны, инженеры и рабочие завода, гости и, естественно, пресса. Фото…
And why would they not? If Irkut can deliver on the promise, this might be to the narrowbody sector what the 787 is to widebody airliners. Ok, so carbon fibre wings, active sidesticks and more-electric philosophy are no longer without precedent, but in its class the sum of the innovations on the MS-21 is pretty peerless - and the GTF does contribute to the list, IMHO (as do quite a few of Pratt's sister companies, UTC as a whole features rather prominently).
One thing that strikes me about it is the lack of obvious inlets for the air conditioning packs (typically found on the wing-body fairing) - granted they might be located ventrally and further back than usual, out of sight from the angles that have been photographed to date (A330-ish or Tu-204-ish).
IAZ General Director spoke about the preparation of the production of MS-21 airliners
The Irkutsk Aviation Plant, a branch of the Irkut Corporation, will soon begin mass production of medium-range airliners MS-21-300, the assembly of the first production aircraft is already underway in the plant’s shops. Alexander Veprev, General Director of IAZ - Deputy General Director of Irkut Corporation PJSC, spoke about how the production of a promising aircraft was being prepared in an interview with AviaPort.
“Understanding that the preparation of serial production requires serious investments, we divided the entire process into several stages and progressively implement them as production volumes increase,” says the Director General of IAZ. “The basic production was modernized to ensure the implementation of the first stage program. The procurement and stamping were modernized, mechanical assembly, assembly and assembly production, part of the coating production. The start line of the logistics center was commissioned under MS-21. "
According to him, the second stage of the plant is currently underway, which will allow to increase the pace of production of MS-21 aircraft by 2022. In parallel with the modernization of production at the airport for the development of aircraft systems, as well as for customization and transfer of airliners to customers, a hangar complex is being built.
“The third stage, which envisages reaching 72 cars a year at the assembly volume, will be implemented by successively building up capacities in all basic industries, as well as developing cooperation,” said Alexander Veprev.
Given that the IAP should produce 70 aircraft annually, the pace of assembly must be increased very intensively. In this regard, the head of the airline explains that in ten years, from 2006 to 2016, the plant increased its sales from 17 billion rubles to 88.2 billion rubles - in relative terms, this is more than five times growth. “At the same time, the number of employees increased by 10%. We gained productivity at existing sites, carrying out modernization of production along with an increase in the rate of output of commodity products,” the head of IAZ explains.
He says that the work of the team was carried out in a very tough mode: while modernization was carried out at one production site - construction and installation works, new equipment was being installed, nearby, the aircraft were being assembled without interruption. “As a result, without stopping production, we converted to high-performance equipment and were able to significantly increase production volumes. At the peak of loading, we produced more than 60 aircraft in a year, moreover, we completed these volumes in half of the assembly and aggregate production areas, the second half was already occupied by MS-21 program, "said Alexander Veprev.
Also, the Director General of IAZ answered the question about cooperation in the manufacture of the MS-21 airframe.
“When entering the project, we perfectly understood that it was not advisable to master the entire range of aircraft manufacturing work on our own. We did not have a number of competencies, for example, composite production, there were limitations on the dimensions of the skinings and parts to be manufactured. Therefore, we developed together with UAC such an industrial model that relies on the capabilities of the entire industry, "he said.
According to the basic labor input, about 58% of the work falls on the Irkutsk Aviation Plant and 42% - on the subcontractors. Aerocomposite and ONPP Tekhnologiya produce composite wing and plumage, Aviastar-SP delivers fuselage panels, VASO - chassis flaps, pylons and fuselage fittings.
Russian airframer Irkut has rolled out the first MC-21 equipped with domestically-built Aviadvigatel PD-14 powerplants. The variant, designated the MC-21-310, is the alternative to the -300 which features Pratt & Whitney PW1400G engines. Irkut has yet to fix a date for the maiden flight of the...
Also icing tests have started, note the devices installed on the leading edges of the flying surfaces to simulate the aerodynamic perturbation of ice build-up:
На Иркутский авиационный завод автомобильным транспортом из Ульяновска доставлена консоль крыла самолёта МС-21-300, изготовленная из российских композиционных
aviation21.ru
First wing made out of domestically sourced base materials begins installation (the equivalent center wing box is already mounted). This completes indigenization of the aircraft's USP and protects its competitive advantage against US sanctions.
I suspect from recent reports that PAK-DA might actually be too far along to take advantage, but with fewer strings attached this process might now be available for future military projects.
There is still quite a bit of Western components that would have to be replaced at great expense for this plane to be feasible for military use. I believe at this point the future maritime patrol aircraft that Russia is planning to acquire will be a derivative of the Il-114 airliner that's being brought back into production.
Tu-204 has been proposed for maritime patrol too. In the long run there will be less and less foreign components in the MC-21 (composites and engines are already in the bag), so its use as a military aircraft will most probably come
There is a phased process to remove foreign components. Much has been achieved already.
But this is irrelevant, as production slots should be too busy satisfying civil needs first. It's fairly obvious that once this is in production, Boeing will be shunted out the Russian market in this weight class eventually.
Denis Manturov specified that a Russian version of the aircraft and a version with components made abroad will be produced, "depending on how we will further develop our supplies"
This is an irrelevance when sanctions are applied, and does not take into consideration the considerable gain in local injection of knowledge and tax base.
I'm not going to delve into economics here, but there is a clear economic case for what is happening.
SSJ underwent "russification" well after production lines and distribution chains (with western avionics etc) had been set up, making it a bit of a pain to retrofit everything.
MS-21 hadn't even been flown when sanctions and stuff started impeding things, necessitating all kinds of workarounds. Just a little while ago they flew the first Russian-made composite wings for the 5th or 6th prototype (whose development was required due to sanctions), and the PD-14 powerplant has also been flown. This while it's still in prototype stage, still undergoing testing and certification trials.
So my guess is that while not ultra-smooth, the "russification" will prove a lot smoother (and cheaper) than the SSJs as it started happening at far earlier stage, well before mass production and deliveries. And the domestic technologies developed for it will come in handy later, as well, beyond the scope of MS-21.
If one compares the engine on offer for MS-21 which is the Russian Engine PD-14 variants and the Western Pratt & Whitney's PW1000G geared turbofan engine , the Western engine outclasses the PD-14 engine and the claimed better capability of MS-21 is based on the use of Western Engine.
Can any one explain me how does the PD-14 engine compares to its Western Counterpart ?
Russia to Face Massive Costs from its Isolation from the Global Financial and Trade System and Cutting-Edge Technology Today, the United States, along with Allies and partners, is imposing severe and immediate economic costs on Russia in response to Putin’s war of choice against Ukraine. Today’s...
www.whitehouse.gov
It seems that due to sanctions recently imposed on the export of advanced civilian technology, the MC-21 project cannot enter full scale production any time soon. The Russians were working on a domesticated version, but replacing all the imported parts is still years away from completion.
I wonder how long these sanctions will last ? Let's say the Russians retreat from Ukraine but keep large chunks of land , which seems to be their plan, then what ? Do things go back to business as usual ?
The Russians have had some success slowly replacing all the foreign components on the Sukhoi SSJ, but the newer MC-21 is a different beast altogether.
5 MAR, 22:00 MC-21 airplane is better than Western analogs by certain parameters — Putin
The President noted that Western restrictions had not prevented the project from completion
"You have noted the MC-21 is not inferior to Western counterparts but it is better by many parameters. Really better - it has a wider body, convenient spacing between seats, larger space for the baggage compartment," the President said. "
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