The weight reduction of the domestic medium-range aircraft MC-21-310 will occur in parallel with the expansion of production and the organization of its operation. Developers of systems and components, who had to make a leap of several decades when creating solutions for the MC-21, will contribute, "First Technical" was told by Oleg Panteleev, Executive Director of Aviaport agency, aviation expert.
He recalled that in the process of import substitution of the MC-21-310, dozens of systems had to be replaced. At the same time, in many cases we are talking about manufacturers who have not developed such products since the 1980s.
The last serial civil aircraft with a large share of domestic components that were produced in our country were the Tu-204 and Tu-214. This is the level of technology of the 1970s-1980s.
Developers of units and devices for the MC-21 had to step, in fact, 30-40 years forward to create systems needed by aircraft manufacturers in an emergency. The necessary functionality has been created, now you need to fit into the specified weight limits.
Panteleev explained that the weight problem is not only due to the transition to domestic composite materials.
Given that civil aircraft of this size with a composite wing do not have long-term operating experience, naturally, developers are very cautious in terms of safety margin.
As statistics accumulate, it may well turn out that the structure can be lightened without compromising strength.
Anatoly Gaidansky, Director of the Yakovlev Engineering Center (part of the Rostec United Aircraft Corporation), noted that MC-21 is planned to be made 15-20% lighter, for this, Russian engineers use thermoplastic composites. This approach will significantly improve the fuel efficiency of the aircraft and operational characteristics.