Irkut Delivers MC-21 Fuselage Section For Survivability Testing

Irkut Corporation has delivered a test metal cylindrical fuselage section of MC-21 aircraft to Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) to undergo destructive and survivability testing. 

A number of advanced technologies have been used during production of the section. These technologies will be used in test and serial aircraft production. The section was delivered to Zhukovsky by An-124 Ruslan aircraft, Irkut said in a statement.

Due to large dimensions of the section it was transported with some elements removed. The specialists of IAP and TsAGI will assembly the section and carry out the pressure leakage testing and pressurization. Afterwards scientists and specialists of TsAGI will start the destructive and survivability testing. The section will be mounted on a test rig designed for simulating the strain on all flight stages and recording many parameters characterizing the behavior of the section and its elements, the statement added.

The president of IRKUT Corporation, Oleg Demchenko, said, “The development of MC-21 aircraft has entered the manufacturing and testing stage. The studies of this section will be carried out by specialists of Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute over the next two years. The airframe of MC-21 will perform about 100 thousand simulated flights during this period of time. TsAGI has unique test equipment, which allows to verify the implemented design and technology solutions”.

The creation of MC-21 new generation airliner - the major prospective project of the Russian civil aviation industry is included in the Federal Target Program “The development of the Russian civil aviation technique for the period until 2015.” IRKUT Corporation, a part of United Aircraft Corporation is the prime contractor of the MC-21 project.