Vladimir Karnozov

For UAC subsidiary Irkut, the Farnborough Airshow is a great chance to connect with Western partners and prospective customers for its MC-21 narrowbody airliner development. The group claims that the new design’s composite wing will give it an operating cost advantage even over the new re-engined Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737Max airliners.


In an interview last month with Avion Review Magazine, Pogosian said that the MC-21 will feature a higher proportion of Russian-made equipment than the Superjet SJ-100 narrowbody now in production with UAC subsidiary Sukhoi. He said that Russian companies have been making significant advances in areas such as avionics.


In the same interview with the Spanish-language magazine, Pogosian confirmed that UAC has started joint development work with China for a possible new widebody airliner. He predicted that the new design would deliver a 10-percent improvement in operating costs compared with existing rivals.


Meanwhile, Irkut’s main focus continues to be combat aircraft. This year the company plans to deliver about 20 Su-30SM twin-seat, multirole fighters to the Russian air force out of the total order for 60 such aircraft. In 2013, its IAZ main manufacturing site at Irkutsk in Siberia shipped 14. These follow the first pair accepted by the customer in 2012, when the corporation resumed fighter deliveries to the Russian defense ministry after a long break.


Based on the customized Indian Su-30MKI fighter, the Su-30SM comes with the latest updated avionics, including a French wide-angle, head-up display. Russian test pilots from the Chkalov Main Flight Test Center speak highly of this innovation. However, Russian air force commander Gen. Victor Bondarev recently assured the local media that in future all new-build fighters going to Irkut’s main customer will come with better, locally-made avionics.


Su-30 export deliveries in 2013-2014 are confined to roughly a dozen assembly kits going to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for subsequent assembly into Su-30MKI models. As of early 2013, the number of Su-30MKIs in Indian service or ready for delivery was about 170. An additional contract for 42 aircraft was signed in December 2012. With that, the grand total of Indian orders rose to 272. For a while now, India has been considering reworking its in-service Su-30MKIs into the Super-30s with an active electronically scanned radar replacing the current N-011M Bars with passive e-scan and a number of other improvements.


In addition to fighters, Irkut makes the Yakovlev-130 twin-engine weaponized jet trainer. This fourth-generation aircraft features a re-programmable flight control system that can emulate behavior and handling qualities of various aircraft types, including fighters, strike aircraft and airlifters. To date, the manufacturer has delivered 45 of Yak-130s to the Russian air force.


Export expectations for the Yak-130 are high and Russian state defense export agency Rosoboronexport hopes to sell 250 aircraft. It boasts a relatively modest fly-off price, low maintenance and operational expenses, modern avionics and aiming systems along with the ability to take to the air in a short time, including on a follow-on missions.


The aircraft can fire guided missiles with active radar, TV or thermal imaging heads against ground and sea-going targets. Bolt-on guidance kits are offered to supplement standard unguided rockets. The Yak-130 aiming system enables the crew to use laser guidance to correct flight trajectories of such rockets.


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Irkut Progresses MC-21 Airliner As Fighter Output Grows

Irkut is working on a possible new widebody airliner with China, as well as several military aircraft upgrades.

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Farnborough Air Show 2014

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