Russia Says Its New Commercial Airliner Is as Good as Any Boeing or Airbus

The Russian government is getting into the business of commercial planes. The Russian United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), which is majority owned by the government, has just unveiled the MC-21 300, which it boasts will be a rival to the best planes coming out of commercial aerospace, like the Airbus A320neo and the Boeing 737Max.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev praised the plane, which will complete certification in 2017, at a fancy reception in Siberia. He called the plane "cool," and urged that Russia become an elite player in aerospace. 

Western sanctions against Russia have led to increasing calls for domestic production, and the MC-21 300 stands to be a shining role model. The plane has Russian-built turbofans and Russian-built avionics. While the plane has gone through delays, there was no sense of caution in Medvedev's speech.

"I only want to say that I am absolutely certain that the airliner will be the pride of Russian civil aviation, and that our citizens and foreign people will take pleasure in flights on MC-21," he said. We'll see!