From the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, UAC enterprises did not stop working. Modern IT solutions have made it possible to quickly transfer employees of engineering and corporate centres to remote workstations. The factories also did not stop, shift work was organised to support continuous production processes, on which the implementation of the SDO and MTC programs depended. Strict control over the health status of employees has been introduced, disinfection of territories and premises of UAC enterprises is being carried out, and other security measures are being taken. Work continues.

MC-21-300: flagship trials 

The main project of Russian civil aviation in recent years - the new-generation narrow-body mid-range airliner MC-21-300 - continues the flight test program. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a short break, but work has already been resumed. Now, as part of the certification program according to Russian and European standards MC-21-300, a large complex of ground, flight, bench tests is underway.

The program involves four experimental aircraft. Two of them are equipped with passenger cabins. In the case, modifications are being checked with a two-class layout for 163 seats and an ultra-dense layout for 211 seats. Flights are performed by crews of the Irkut Corporation and joint crews: pilots of the corporation and representatives of certification centres. The pace of flight tests is increasing. Often, two aircraft are simultaneously in flight.

During flights, the latest generation of testing equipment allows you to record about 40 thousand parameters. Already tested MC-21-300 for resistance to flutter and at extreme angles of attack. The main engines and auxiliary power unit were tested, including during take-off and landing with a failed engine. The minimum separation speed of the aircraft is determined. The operability of the instrumental landing system and equipment for flying in the dark was confirmed.

The MC-21-300 airliner is being created in a wide cooperation of Rostec enterprises. More than half of avionics was developed by the holdings of the State Corporation, and titanium and composite parts are supplied. The first MC-21-300 aircraft is under construction at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, which will undergo flight tests with PD-14 engines developed by the United Engine Corporation.

The production of MC-21-300 aircraft for delivery to customers has begun, the fuselage of the first machine is going to The start of mass production was allowed by the positive results of flight and ground tests, which proved the correctness of the basic design and technological solutions.

IL-96-400M: for long-distance flights 

In the final assembly workshop of the Voronezh aircraft plant VASO, which is part of the Rostec aviation complex, the assembly of the wide-body, long-range airliner Il-96-400M continues. This wide-body aircraft is a new modification of the IL-96-300. Today, the IL-96-300 aircraft are operated in a special flight unit "Russia", which provides flights to senior officials of the country.

The IL-96-400M project was launched in 2017. One of the differences between the deeply modernised version and its predecessor is the elongated fuselage, which is increased by 9.35 meters. This will allow to carry even more passengers. A modern comfortable cabin will provide a high level of comfort on long-haul flights.

The IL-96-400M will be equipped with a modern flight-navigation complex and domestic radio communications that meet the requirements of the international aviation authorities for navigation, surveillance and communication systems. Modular integrated avionics for the new airliner is produced by the Rostec Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies.

The aircraft can be presented to the customer in various configurations. In one-class performance, it will accommodate 402 passengers, two-class - 350, and three-class - 305.

Another important difference between the IL-96-400M will be a more powerful PS-90A1 power-plant compared to the base PS-90A installed on the IL-96-300. This engine has increased maximum thrust, it is equipped with a low-emission combustion chamber and new 2nd generation sound-absorbing structures. The engine is produced at the ODK-Perm Motors plant.

The completion of the assembly of the first prototype IL-96-400M and the transfer of the aircraft for testing are planned at the end of this year. Now VASO specialists are docking the main units of the airframe and proceed with the installation of aircraft systems. The plane is completely assembled from Russian components.

IL-114-300: new regional 

IL-114-300 is a deeply modernised version of the regional turboprop aircraft IL-114-100. The project of the predecessor of the current aircraft, created in a new look, began in the late USSR. It was built at a factory in Uzbekistan. Some time after the collapse of the country and the extensive cooperation system, the project “stalled”. However, the need for this kind of transport remained, because this aircraft was created with the aim of replacing the Soviet “hit” An-24 on local airlines. Today, the fleet of these aircraft is rapidly shrinking - machines are developing a resource and are becoming a thing of the past.

The decisions necessary to resume the program were adopted in 2016. As the head of state noted, the situation in which people have to fly to neighbouring regions through Moscow or St. Petersburg is unacceptable and economically inexpedient. Our country needs its own machine for connecting regions, competitive in the world market. Designers of "Ilyushin" started to work, preparation for production began.

IL-114-300 is a fully Russian aircraft capable of carrying up to 68 passengers. Design features allow it to be used at low-equipped airfields of local airlines. IL-114-300 can land both on concrete and on dense soil strips, is equipped with an integrated passenger ramp and generally has a high level of autonomy. All this makes it an indispensable winged "bus" for the remote areas of the North, the Far East and Siberia.

When creating the IL-114-300, a number of the latest technologies are used, the development of the aircraft is carried out in "digital". A modern digital flight and navigation system will allow it to operate in adverse weather conditions. The efficient and economical TV7-117ST-01 turboprop engine, developed by UEC-Klimov, will provide the aircraft with a flight range of up to 1,500 km when fully loaded.

IL-114-300 is a universal platform on the basis of which aircraft for various purposes can be created: cargo, cargo-passenger, special (for reconnaissance, monitoring, medical needs).

Now work is underway on the first prototype aircraft, which will soon make its first flight. In parallel, the UAC factories are completing the manufacture and assembly of units of the second experimental IL-114-300 already using serial technologies. In cooperation on the manufacture of units involved enterprises of Voronezh, Ulyanovsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow. Final assembly will be carried out at the Aviation Plant. P.A. Voronin in Lukhovitsy near Moscow. The leading suppliers of systems and equipment are Rostec enterprises.

All photos in the material: United Aircraft Corporation