Overview
- The visit, which took place Friday, July 24, had President Vladimir Putin touring the Irkutsk Aviation Plant and viewing a completed MS-21-310 airliner and a Yak-130M prototype.
- Rostec and plant managers reported 18 MS-21-310 airframes are currently in assembly and said the first fully import‑substituted serial MS-21-310 is nearing a maiden flight with parts for later batches already being made.
- Officials set a serial production goal of 36 MS-21 aircraft per year and said early deliveries are planned for Aeroflot, but the certification schedule is a government target with competing dates cited—late 2026 in some reporting and June 2027 in state statements.
- The Yak-130M performed its debut test flight on June 25, 2026, is reported to have over 50% of its equipment modernized including new sighting systems and radar, and its formal trial cycle is slated to finish in December 2028 before planned export deliveries.
- The developments were presented as part of an import‑substitution push started after Western sanctions; the long‑delayed MC-21 program and the plant’s roughly 11,000 employees mean progress could affect airline fleet plans, regional jobs, and supply chains even as official timelines remain subject to independent verification.