Irkut MC-21; we look at the MC-21-300, Part 2.

By Bjorn Fehrm

Subscription required.

Introduction

August 01, 2016, ©. Leeham Co: After having found the nearest competitor to the Irkut MC-21-300 as the Boeing 737 MAX 9 in our first article, we now go deeper in the comparison of the two aircraft.

MC21-300 image

Figure 1. MC-21-300 at the roll out in June 2016. Source: Irkut

In the first article, we found that the aircraft have almost identical cabin dimensions. Now we will look at other areas like airframe dimensions, weights and data which dictate overall performance.

Summary:

  • The MC-21 has cabin dimensions which are very close to the 737 MAX 9.
  • The nominal two class seating by Irkut is lower than the MAX 9. We have assumed that this will increase during the lifetime of the MC-21.
  • We also compare other data between the MC-21-300 and the MAX 9, such as weights, wetted areas and effective wingspans to see if these are similar as well. In the end these dictate the aircraft's efficiency together with the engines.

To read the rest of the article Login or Subscribe today.