The first production MC-21-310 equipped with Russian-made systems flew for 5 hours and 50 minutes from Irkutsk to Zhukovsky, near Moscow, in what appears to be the longest flight yet performed by the PD-14-powered version of Russia's new narrowbody.
The aircraft departed the Yakovlev plant in Irkutsk and flew nonstop to the Gromov Flight Research Institute at Zhukovsky. According to United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), it reached an altitude of 12,100 meters (39,700 feet) and a speed of up to 850 km/h (528 mph).
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Russian reports put the distance at more than 4,000 km (2,485 miles), consistent with the distance between Irkutsk and the Moscow region. The aircraft is now due to undergo inspections before it is painted in the colors of its still-undisclosed customer.
The flight has attracted attention because of its distance, but it does not establish a new range capability for the MC-21-310. UAC has not disclosed the aircraft's takeoff weight, fuel load or payload, and a factory ferry flight before delivery would not normally carry a representative commercial payload.
An airliner with little or no payload can fly considerably farther than the same aircraft carrying passengers, baggage and cargo. The 4,000-km flight therefore cannot be directly compared with the published commercial range of competing narrowbodies.
Range became an issue for the Russian jet after its extensive redesign following Western sanctions. Recent Russian data has put the MC-21-310's range at about 3,800 km (2,360 miles) with 175 passengers, with work underway to certify a figure closer to 4,000 km (2,485 miles).
An Airbus A320neo, by comparison, has a published range of up to 6,300 km (3,400 nautical miles), depending on configuration. That figure assumes a commercial mission rather than a lightly loaded ferry flight.
Different MC-21
There is also an important distinction between the MC-21-310 now approaching service and the aircraft that began the program's flight tests nearly a decade ago.
The original MC-21-300 used Pratt & Whitney PW1400G geared turbofan engines. One of those aircraft flew approximately 4,500 km (2,800 miles) from Irkutsk to Zhukovsky in October 2017, meaning the latest flight is not the longest ever performed by an MC-21.
The MC-21-310 instead uses the Russian Aviadvigatel PD-14. Development of this version became increasingly important after Western sanctions restricted Russia's access to engines and numerous other foreign components originally selected for the aircraft.
The change went far beyond replacing the engines. Russian industry had to develop substitutes for avionics, flight-control equipment and other systems previously sourced from Western suppliers. The revised aircraft also gained weight, one factor behind the reduction in its expected range compared with earlier specifications for the MC-21.
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UAC has been conducting certification flights with the import-substituted configuration ahead of the start of commercial deliveries. The aircraft that flew to Zhukovsky is the first production example completed in this configuration.
Its customer has not officially been identified. Rossiya Airlines, part of Aeroflot Group, had previously been expected to become the first commercial operator of the MC-21, although the repeated delays and changes to the program have altered delivery schedules several times.
The latest flight is therefore significant primarily because a production MC-21-310 has completed a long-distance sector with its Russian engines and systems. Its actual performance on airline missions will become clearer only when comparable figures for payload, fuel consumption and range are available.
