The shortened version of the Russian passenger aircraft MC-21 will have a flight range of at least 5000 kilometers. This was announced by Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov during a visit to the Irkutsk Aviation Plant.

According to him, the designed aircraft will provide a range of at least five thousand kilometers. During the discussion, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that this indicator should preferably be increased, after which the head of Rostec said that work on improving the characteristics would continue.

As Andrey Soynov, General Director of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, specified, the development of the new MC-21-200 modification is at the stage of experimental design work. The state contract has already been concluded, and project funding is fully secured. The first test flight of the aircraft is scheduled for 2028.

The new version of the liner is designed for approximately 140 passengers. It will be a shortened modification of the MC-21 family with an increased flight range compared to the basic MC-21-310.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade concluded a contract for the development of the aircraft with Yakovlev company in May 2026. The cost of the work is 19.7 billion rubles, and it is planned to complete them by the end of 2028.

Earlier, Roman Gusarov, editor-in-chief of the AVIA.RU portal and aviation industry expert, spoke about the prospects of the new modification. According to his assessment, the development of the MC-21-200 will be the next stage in the family's development after the stable production of the basic MC-21-300 version begins.