Speaking of the new generation of narrow body trunk passenger aircraft, in addition to the Boeing 's 737MAX, Airbus 's A320NEO and my country's C919, Russia is actually developing MC-21. This aircraft was jointly developed by Irkut and Yaklev, famous for designing vertical take-off and landing fighter jets. It was manufactured by United Aviation Manufacturing Company. Its first flight on May 28, 2017 was only 23 days later than our C919.
The first flight of the Russian MC21 was only 23 days later than C919
However, unlike C919, Boeing 737MAX, and A320NEO, they chose the CFM LEAP-1 series engines. The Russian MC-21 chose the PW1400G turbofan engine provided by Pratt & Whitney in the United States, and the mass production machine is ready to be upgraded to Pratt & Whitney PW1428G and Pratt & Whitney PW1431G. However, due to the impact of the situation in Russia and Ukraine, the MC-21 was cut off as early as 2019. After Russia launched a "special military operation", the supply of MC-21's engine and parts was directly stuck, and the aircraft was once in a hurry, as if it was "waiting for thunder" for us.
MC21 has been cut off and is a good object of observation
However, Russia has not given up on developing its own new generation of trunk passenger aircraft. According to media reports, on October 7, the Russian State Technology Group Corporation announced that a prototype MC-21 originally equipped with American engines successfully completed its first flight at an airport at the Irkutsk aircraft manufacturer on the same day after replacing the Russian-made PD-14 engine. It is expected that after completing three test flights as planned, this MC-21 prototype will be transferred to the Yakovlev Test Flight Center of Zhukovsky City, , Moscow Oblast, and will continue to receive test flight certification. In the future, this type of passenger aircraft will use PD-14 engines when mass production is performed. Among them, MC-21-200 uses PD-14A, MC-21-300 uses PD-14, and MC-21-400 uses PD-14M.
MC21
with PD14 engine is very similar to ours. The C919 may also face a supply cut from the West at any time, but we do not have the corresponding domestic engine to change immediately. Moreover, as early as December 15, 2020, an MC-21-310 passenger plane had been replaced with a PD-14 and completed its first flight. Our CJ1000AX was also tested on other aircraft, and it was several years before the C919 was replaced. The domestic engine of
C919 is already being tested for
. It seems that Russia is prepared for the face of Western sanctions. It has a strong aviation foundation. If the MC-21 is replaced with a domestic engine, it can be said to be calm. Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but wonder, can the C919 be replaced with the MC-21 engine PD-14? Can
C919 be replaced with the PD14 engine?
In fact, PD-14 is the first product of the integration of its own aircraft engine industry after the collapse of in , Russia has adopted many mature advanced technologies, such as hollow blades, overall blade discs, etc. It is said that it may also use ceramic matrix composite cmc. The engine adopts a 1st-level fan, a 3rd-level low-pressure compressor, a 8th-level high-pressure compressor, a 2nd-level high-pressure turbine and a 6th-level low-pressure turbine structure. The overall level is equivalent to the newer models of CFM56 series. The performance is roughly on the same level as the leap series, and the thrust is 14 to 15 tons, which is completely sufficient for C919. The overall design of
PD14 is more advanced. The performance of
PD-14 is very excellent, that is, its engine dry mass is only 2870 kg, which is at the same level as the 2990 kg LEAP-1A of the A320NEO passenger aircraft and the LEAP-1B of the Boeing 737MAX of about 2780 kg. The LEAP-1C used by our C919 actually has 3929 to 3935 kg dry mass, which is more than 1 ton of the previous three. Even if the engine accessories are removed, it is the heaviest, which will seriously affect the performance and fuel economy of the C919. Judging from these data, it seems to be a better choice to replace the C919 PD-14. Why is the imported engine of
C919 heavy so much?
However, as you all know, paper data of Russian engines is one thing, and actual performance is another. Judging from the PD-14's high-pressure compressor single-stage double-disk design, the roulette of each level of high-pressure compressor with very different shapes, the connection structure between the front fulcrum of the high-pressure rotor and the load-bearing frame between the rear turbine stages of the engine, and the bearing inner ring and the rotor of the No. 2 fulcrum, its design is more shamatte, giving people a strange feeling.In addition to the PS-90 that has been shut down several times, I think it's better to stay away from Russian civilian engines and speed up the development of our own CJ1000AX. If it really doesn't work, use the civil version of turbofan 20 to hold on for a while, and let the C919 be a cargo plane, and it's okay to fly first.
I feel that PD-14 is not very reliable
In addition to the PS-90 that has been shut down several times, I think it's better to stay away from Russian civilian engines and speed up the development of our own CJ1000AX. If it really doesn't work, use the civil version of turbofan 20 to hold on for a while, and let the C919 be a cargo plane, and it's okay to fly first.
I feel that PD-14 is not very reliable
