The PD-14 turbofan engine secured its place under the wing of the Irkut MC-21 narrowbody airliner. Russia’s largest carrier, Aeroflot, plans to equip half of its future MC-21 fleet with the Russian powerplants. 

The firm order for 50 MC-21s signed with Avia Capital Services leasing company in early February gives the airline the option to switch to the Russian engines starting with the 26th airframe. The initial batch will be powered by the Pratt & Whitney PW1400G. 

The 14-ton-thrust PD-14 is being developed by Perm Motors, a subsidiary of United Engine Corporation (UEC). It is now in the final stages of the certification trials. The third stage of flight tests aboard the Ilyushin Il-76LL flying lab started in December 2017. A UEC official explained to ShowNews that the engine had already been tested in all flight modes expected for the MC-21. 

The engine is expected to get Russian certification this year, and validation from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2019. The flight test at MC-21 will start the same year. At the end of January, UEC and Irkut signed a contract for delivery of five PD-14s for the flight trials. The engines will be handed over to Irkut at the end of this year.

The MC-21-300 baseline variant with the Russian engine is to be certified in 2021. Four of such aircraft also have been ordered by another Russian airline, Red Wings, through local lessor Ilyushin Finance Co. 

The MC-21’s total backlog now stands at 175 firm orders and about 100 preliminary commitments. The orders come mostly from Russian leasing companies, which gives good chances for the PD-14.

The PD-14 core engine can also serve as a basis for a new engine family. Besides the basic PD-14 variant, UEC plans to develop the decelerated, 12.5-ton PD-14A to be installed on the shorter MC-21-200. The PD-14M with 14- to 16-ton thrust was expected to power the now-frozen MC-21-400 stretched version as well as Russia’s future medium transport aircraft. The 10.8-ton thrust PD-10 was planned for the 130-seat Superjet 100 NG.