On August 3, 2026, the first flight of the first series-production, fully import-substituted passenger aircraft, the MC-21-310, took place at the airfield of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant (a branch of PJSC Yakovlev, part of the United Aircraft Corporation under the Rostec state corporation). The aircraft is powered by PD-14 engines developed by Russia's UEC (United Engine Corporation). The event was covered in press releases from Rostec and UAC, as well as by a Nizhny Novgorod business publication.[2][3]

Course of the Flight

The aircraft was piloted by a crew of distinguished test pilots: commander — Hero of Russia Roman Taskaev, Sergey Mikhaylyuk, Andrey Voropayev, and flight test engineer Nikolay Fonurin.[1][3] The flight lasted 1 hour and 23 minutes; maximum altitude reached 6,000 m, and indicated airspeed was up to 600 km/h.[2] During the test, the aircraft's stability and controllability were evaluated across various configurations, along with the performance of Russian onboard systems.[3] Upon completion of the flight, crew commander Roman Taskayev reported that the first series-production aircraft had performed well and that the flight assignment had been carried out in full.[3]

Significance of the Event

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Gennadiy Abramenkov described the first flight of the series-production, fully import-substituted MC-21 as an important milestone in the program to develop a domestically produced mainline passenger aircraft.[3] According to him, approximately half of the certification flight test program had already been completed by the time of the event; once it concludes, deliveries of series-production aircraft to operators are planned.[2] The successful flight, in Rostec's assessment, demonstrates the readiness of production chains for serial manufacture, including the first batch of 18 aircraft.[2]

Nizhny Novgorod Context

The Nizhny Novgorod Sokol Aircraft Manufacturing Plant is part of the MC-21 production cooperative: the enterprise has completed assembly of the first sub-fin compartment and is preparing for full localization of this component at its facility.[3] Nizhny Novgorod enterprises Gidromash, Ruspolimet, and Polyot Research and Production Enterprise are also participating in the project.[3]

Links

Sources

  1. aif.ru — Footage from the first flight of the import-substituted MC-21 aircraft published — Argumenty i Fakty (archive)
  2. aif.ru — First series-production MC-21 completes successful flight — Argumenty i Fakty (archive)
  3. Vzglyad-NN — First series-production import-substituted MC-21-310 completes maiden flight — Business News. Time to Earn