Irkut MC-21-300

Irkut MC-21-300 reg. RA-73051 Prototype c.2017
(1/144 scale, Zvezda kit No. 7033 © 2020)

The Irkut MC-21 (ICAO type designation MC23) is a single-aisle airliner, developed in Russia by the Yakovlev Design Bureau and produced by its parent Irkut, a branch of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), itself a 92%-owned subsidiary of Russia's state-owned aviation giant Rostec. The program was launched in 2007 as a challenger to the Boeing/Airbus duopoly in the B737/A320 market. Irkut rolled out the first MC-21-300 on 8 June 2016 and first flew the aircraft on 28 May 2017. The twinjet has a carbon fibre reinforced polymer wing and is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engines or Aviadvigatel PD-14 turbofans.

In early 2022, international sanctions against Russia were imposed due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Irkut and United Aircraft Corporation were both placed on the sanctions lists of the major Western allies, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) suspended all work on type certification of the MC-21. To circumvent the sanctions, Irkut intends to use only Russian avionics and engines, which they project will be implemented within 2–3 years, making it independent of imported equipment.

The MC-21, along with the older Tu-204 and Sukhoi Superjet SSJ-100 represent the state of the art in Russian civil aviation and the Russian’s best hope of avoiding similar sanctions that may result from future military adventures.

The kit by Zvezda is itself a marvelous work of engineering. Details are fine, fit is near-perfect, and the deals bed down beautifully with only minor difficulties in fit. Windows were filled with clear acrylic resin; paints are mostly Tamiya acrylics. The display stand is a piece of black-lacquered flooring sample cut and sanded to shape.