Russian aircraft manufacturer and United Aircraft Corporation branch Irkut continued the flight test campaign for its MC-21-300 airliner with the initial flight of the program’s fourth test aircraft on Wednesday. According to the company, the design of its latest test aircraft took into account test data from the first three MC-21-300 flight test models. The MC-21-300 flew for the first time in May 2017.
Wednesday’s flight lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes, reaching an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,842 feet) and speeds of up to 500 km/h (270 knots). The pilots reported that the flight was normal and all planned tasks were completed. The test took place at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant airfield in Irkutsk, Russia.
The narrow-body MC-21-300 will have a range of 6,000 km (3,240 NM) and be able to seat 163 passengers in a two-class configuration. Engine options for the aircraft are the Pratt & Whitney PW1400G-JM or the UEC PD-14. Irkut says it has firm orders for 175 of the model, which is scheduled to enter service in late 2020.
