Su-47 "Berkut" Fighter Composites Developed in MC-21

The only built prototype did not go into production, but the carbon fiber developments came in handy later

The Su-47 "Berkut" fighter, built in a single prototype, determined the future of domestic aviation. The composite materials used in the combat aircraft were further developed in the civilian airliner MC-21-310, according to the press service of the Union of Machine Builders of Russia.

Image source: chatgpt

About half of the "Berkut" wing was made of carbon fiber, the share of which in the entire airframe reached 13%. The ONPP "Tekhnologiya" named after Romashin participated in the creation of the "black wing".

The accumulated experience was not wasted. Engineering developments were used in the creation of the Su-57, and methods for manufacturing composite structures received further development, including in the MC-21 passenger program.
Union of Machine Builders of Russia

Recall that the Su-47 "Berkut" did not go into production, but became a flying laboratory for testing promising technologies — including digital control and internal weapon placement.

As for composites in the MC-21-310, there are a great many of them in the airliner, as noted by Yakovlev. These include wings, panels, spars, empennage, fin-stabilizer, flap rails, elevators, and much more.

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