A promising version of the MC-21-500 aircraft for 270 passengers may receive a PD-24 engine with a thrust of about 24 tons. The model of the aircraft and power plant were shown at the Russian Venture Forum in Kazan.
We are talking about an extended version of the MC-21, which, with such parameters, is able to enter the long-haul segment. The estimated flight range is up to 9000 km.
PD-24 remains in the "roadmap" as a possible modification. Since the entire family (24, 26, 28 and 35 tons) is based on the same gas generator, work on PD-24 is actually underway as part of the overall PD-35 program.
The founder of the aviation project Frequent Flyers, Ilya Shatilin, reported to "Perviy Technicheskiy" that the promising MC-21-500 will receive a composite airframe.
The name MC-21 may just reflect unification with other aircraft in the family — just as the Boeing 757 and 767 have many identical components and assemblies, a control system and cockpit, identical flight characteristics and procedures.