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The MC-21: A Russian A320 and 737
But building a new Boeing 737 competitor from scratch isn’t easy, especially in a country filled to the brim with politics – this plane faces a future of flying high, or becoming a footnote in history. The end of the cold war saw Russian airlines turn away from Soviet planes and embrace western technology, filling their fleets with western made Airbus and Boeing aircraft that were, at the time, seen as more reliable and advanced technological products than the Russian made counterparts.
But one Russian aerospace firm has kept that commercial aviation dream alive with the MC-21 design, taking the very best ideas from the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 to make a true world-class competitor in their words.
The MC-21-300 can fly up to 211 passengers in a high-density configuration to a range of 6,000 km (3,200 nautical miles).
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 can fly 200 passengers (28 inches seat pitch) to a range of 3,550 nautical miles (6,570 km).
The Airbus A320neo can fly 195 passengers in a crushing high-density configuration to a range of 6,500 km (3,500 nautical miles).
The MC-21-300 is wider than both and has enough room in its aisle that two crew carts can pass each other, and has plenty of room below for cargo which we have seen is very lucrative in this day and age. Plus, we can’t forget that the Russian designer has the benefit of learning from the Boeing 737 and A320 mistakes and using new principles in aircraft design, as well as the latest technology, to build what could very well be a superior aircraft.
However, only time will tell if they are able to produce these airframes and restore what was once a glorious aviation industry.