After being painted by the company Spektr-Avia in Ulyanovsk, the fourth MC-21 test aircraft arrived at Zhukovsky International Airport (ZIA) on July 7, 2021. It will participate in the flight test campaign.
The MC-21-310 aircraft, tail number 73055, took to the skies for the first time in December 2020. Unlike its three predecessors powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engines, this testbed is equipped with the definitive Russian-made Aviadvigatel PD-14 engines.
The MC-21 is a medium-haul plane capable of carrying between 132 and 211 passengers, a prized market segment. It is destined to replace the Tu-154 and Tu-204 in Russia and will compete with two best-sellers, the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320. The certification of the Russian single-aisle airliner is expected by the end of 2021.
Irkut plans to present the aircraft to the general public during the MAKS-2021 International Aviation and Space Salon, which is to take place at Zhukovsky airport from July 20 to 25, 2021.
