Since occupying Crimea in 2014 and occupying Ukrainian territories in 2022, Russia has been dealing with trade sanctions that have halted programs for new aircraft such as the MC-21 jetliner.
The narrow-body aircraft began development in the early 2000s incorporating many Western components such as advanced Pratt Whitney GTF engines.
Even before the military invasion of Ukraine, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), the project’s main sponsor, was already looking for local alternatives from suppliers, anticipating difficulties in obtaining parts abroad.
Follow Air Data News: WhatsApp | Google News | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Just over two years ago, the program shifted focus to an MC-21-310 variant, exclusively produced with local content or from countries that maintain friendly relations with Moscow.
The aircraft, which is capable of competing with the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320, is still in the certification phase and is scheduled to make its commercial debut in 2025.
Variant for up to 150 passengers
It should meet the needs of part of the demand of Russian airlines, but the low production volume could make it much more expensive than planned.
For this reason, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov told the Vedomosti newspaper that a smaller-capacity variant of the aircraft would be an alternative to have a larger order list.
“A good option would be to make an additional version of the aircraft’s fuselage shortened by one section. This will allow airlines to operate the aircraft more efficiently, taking into account the resulting weight characteristics, while maintaining the original parameters of flight range with a load of 140 to 150 passengers,” Manturov said.
The MC-21 project includes two other versions, the MC-21-400, capable of carrying up to 260 passengers, and the MC-21-200, which could be configured with up to 165 seats.
The latter would be the aircraft referred to by the Russian Prime Minister, supposedly to be called the MC-21-210, as it is equipped with the PD-14 turbofan.
Similar to the 737-7 and A319neo and not the A220
Although in some configurations planned by Irkut (Yakovlev’s predecessor in charge of the project), the MC-21-200 was planned with 150 seats in a single class, the aircraft would not be a direct rival to the Airbus A220 and the Embraer E195-E2.
The two Western jets, which have similar passenger capacity, were designed to be very efficient in the 130 to 150-seat range and are therefore lighter, with fuselages with a smaller diameter than the 737 and A319.
The MC-21-200, on the other hand, would be a heavier aircraft, with greater range, but would suffer from a high cost per seat.
To make the same comparison with Western aircraft, it would be a kind of Boeing 737 MAX 7 or Russian Airbus A319neo.
Its trump card, however, will be not having more efficient competitors, since neither Embraer nor Airbus will compete in the market in Russia.
Given the budgetary and industrial limitations in the country, the MC-21-210 certainly does not seem like an airliner that will emerge any time soon.
