MOSCOW, May 22./TASS/. Russia has managed to cope with the difficulties in the aircraft industry emerging after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin told Knew Knowledge Marathon on Saturday.
As a confirmation, the prime minister mentioned the MC-21 aircraft, which is among the best passenger aircraft of this category. The Soviet Union was among the global leaders on the track of aircraft construction, Mishustin reiterated. However, it found itself in a crisis following the collapse of the Soviet Union, with a revival beginning only in the 2000s.
"Our country has managed to overcome the difficulties, and the MC-21 plane is an evidence," Mishustin said. "A really good aircraft was designed, the best among the passenger airlines of this type," he stressed. The prime minister praised Irkut Corporation, chief designer Konstantin Popovich and Alexander Inozemtsev, who led the work to design the engine.
In December 2020, MC-21-300 made the first flight with Russian PD-14 engines. The new aircraft is to replace Tu-154, Tu-134 and Yak-42 operated by the Defense Ministry, the Federal Security Service and the Emergencies Ministry.