New Russian passenger aircraft Irkut MS-21: what is it inside

The new Russian passenger plane Irkut MS-21 is ahead of its closest foreign competitors in a number of ways. For this reason, not only Russian air carriers, but also many foreign airlines have already become interested in him. What kind of Russian aircraft of the future is he in our material?

Irkut MS-21 occupies an intermediate position between short-haul and medium-haul passenger aircraft. This is a joint development of the Experimental Design Bureau. A. S. Yakovlev, Irkut Corporation, as well as the Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex named after G. M. Beriev. They plan to produce the aircraft at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, where two aircraft are currently assembled and are undergoing flight tests.

The ceremonial flight of the first instance of the Irkut MS-21-300 aircraft took place in May 2017, and the second ship first flew a year later - in May 2018.

Irkutsk MC-21 became the second passenger aircraft after the Sukhoi Superjet 100, which was created in the Russian Federation. But unlike the short-haul Superjet 100, which can accommodate no more than 98 passengers, the Irkut MS-21 has great capabilities.

It is assumed that the Irkut MS-21 will be a whole family of aircraft, which will differ in the number of seats, carrying capacity and some other parameters. This is primarily Irkut MS-21-300, accommodating 180-211 passengers, and Irkut MS-21-200, which is designed for a maximum of 176 passengers. Further development of other models based on the new aircraft is also possible.

Among the advantages of this aircraft is the fact that the Irkut MS-21 has the widest fuselage among medium-haul aircraft, which is 4.06 meters. Such parameters allow to provide increased passenger comfort, as well as greater capacity compared to competitors. The wings of the Irkut MS-21 aircraft are made of polymer composite material.

While the machine is undergoing final tests, the issue with the engine for Irkut MS-21 is being addressed. Initially, it was assumed that two types of engines could be installed on the aircraft, at the customer’s choice: the Russian PD-14 or the American PW1400G. The first models were assembled using the American version, since the Russian engine has not yet reached the stage of serial production. In general, the share of foreign components of the Irkut-21 aircraft is about 50%. The creators of the aircraft believe that the Irkutsk MC-21 may well compete with such aircraft as the Boeing-737 MAX or Airbus A320 neo, because in terms of its parameters it is very close to them, but has a large capacity and is more economical to operate. And finally, a few photos of the cabin and the cockpit of Irkut-21.