Assembly of aft fuselage sections of the Yakovlev MC-21-310 has commenced at the Sokol plant in Nizhny Novgorod, initiating a duplicate line for the structure.

The structures – which anchor the empennage – were already being sourced from a facility in Ulyanovsk.

United Aircraft says the Sokol plant has formally launched its own complementary assembly of the section.

“This is a key milestone in the plant’s development and a significant contribution to the domestic aircraft manufacturing programme,” it adds.

Initially it will concentrate on mating upper and lower components of the structure, as well as the aft pressure bulkhead, which will be delivered to the plant.

But United Aircraft says “full localisation” is planned, with the plant handling the entire production cycle for the section. It will manufacture complex elements including components for the hydraulic, fuel, and air-conditioning systems.

“Production of the necessary tooling for this stage is already in its final stages,” adds United Aircraft.

It will establish parallel production of the sections at Sokol and Ulyanovsk to ensure “high aircraft production rates”.

Up to 24 of the sections will be manufactured annually, the company states, once the MC-21-310 receives type certification.

United Aircraft points out that the co-operation with Sokol has started at the serial-production stage, “bypassing” the prototype phase. “This indicates a high level of trust in the company and recognition of its competencies,” it says.