Irkut MS-21 to launch first flight in April 2016

Irkut MS-21, the russian ‚airplane for the 21st century‘ (Magistralny Samolet 21-weka), will begin flight tests in April 2016. Russian manufakturer Irkut has already built the first fuselage said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.

Irkut has selected Pratt&Whitney’s PW1400G geared turbofan engines but there are plans to equip the fourth-built MS-21 with russian PD-14.

In August Russia Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev approved $400 million in state guarantees for Irkut MS-21 development. Sberbank extended a $1 billion line of credit for the project. MS-21 project is worth $ 3.5 billion.

MS-21 project is a short- and medium-haul narrow body aircraft family with a wide operational capacity intended for both Russian and international aircraft markets.

The family of MS-21 aircraft includes three models:

• MS-21-200 with capacity of 150 passengers

• MS-21-300 with capacity of 181 passengers

• MS-21-400 with capacity of 212 passengers

Note: capacity is given for single class configuration, seat pitch is 32 inches.

MS-21 family aircraft will allow to the carrier to optimize its fleet due to several modifications of the same passenger capacity model, but with the different range capacity (from basic (MS-21-200, MS-21-300, MS-21-400) to enlarged (MS-21-200ER, MS-21-300ER, MS-21-400ER) ranges). Modifications can be changed by the customer’s requirement due to the possibility of software reconfigurationing at any time of an aircraft life cycle.

Apart from two main modifications a new family modification MS-21-200LR is being developed at present. The modification’s range capacity is 1500 km more comparing to MS-21-200ER. Cargo and business MS-21 options are being developed either.

In order to minimize the operational cost all Ms-21 family aircraft have commonalities at engine, fuselage parts, crew cabin, plane systems configuration, bought-in components, assembly technologies, operational techniques and means.