The Aviastar-SP aircraft plant (Ulyanovsk, Russia) has completed the manufacture of the first fuselage panels for the prototype of an MS-21 aircraft. The finished panels have been transferred to the Irkutsk aircraft plant, which is an affiliate of the Irkut corporation, the press service of Aviastar-SP has announced.
Plans for 2014 include the manufacture and supply of fuselage panels and other components for the first aircraft that are intended for flight and static tests.
The Irkut corporation is developing the MS-21 family of short- and medium-haul passenger aircraft in collaboration with the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), Aviastar-SP, Aerokompozit, and other Russian and foreign companies.
The project for development of the MS-21 passenger aircraft is currently one of the key projects in the Russia civilian aircraft industry. The aircraft is expected to replace the Tu-154 and Tu-204 aircraft and compete with the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 aircraft by 2020.
