Here in Dubai Airshow 2021, Russian aircraft manufacturer Irkut Corporation has debuted its most recent product, the regional jet MC-21 with Russian-made engines – the Aviadvigatel PD-14, in an air show outside of Russia.
The developement of the engine project, that dates back to the unveiling of the jet, aimed at decreasing the dependency of Irkut on foreign material – under the light of eventual Western sanctions against Russian products that could affect negatively the project.
While this version of the MC-21 is the -310, its equivalent version with an Western engine is the MC-21-300, that uses the Pratt & Whitney PW1400G, of the same family that powers next-generation aircraft such as the Airbus A320neo, the A220 and the Embraer E2.
Since Irkut is still running the certification program for the aircraft, its interior is not yet geared for revenue service – although they have a brief mockup onboard.
