The import-substituted serial version of Russia’s MC-21-310 passenger airliner made its first flight from the airfield of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, spending 1 hour and 23 minutes in the air, the Russian state corporation Rostec announced on Telegram yesterday.
“Import-substituted” is the Russian term for replacing foreign-made parts and systems with domestic alternatives, a policy Moscow has accelerated due to Western sanctions.
“The aircraft reached an altitude of 6,000 meters and an indicated airspeed of 600 kph. The crew checked stability, controllability in various configurations, and the operation of Russian-made onboard systems. The aircraft performed well, and the flight assignment was completed in full,” Rostec said.
The Irkutsk Aviation Plant is preparing serial production of the aircraft, with the first batch said to consist of 18 planes. The Kremlin-aligned business newspaper Vedomosti wrote that the MC-21-310 has now completed half of its certification flights. Rostec previously said it planned to produce 36 MC-21 aircraft annually, with deliveries expected to begin in the second half of 2027.
Aviation expert Andrei Menshenin told The Insider that it is more accurate for now to speak of the beginning of the process of mastering serial production, not full-scale serial output.
