MAKS is an international air show held at Zhukovsky International Airport, the home of the Gromov Flight Research Institute in Zhukovsky, 40 km (25 mi) southeast of Moscow, Russia. Air show will be packed with new insights into the future of Russian aviation combined with some rare and fascinating projects from Russia’s past. MAKS 2019 runs from Tuesday, August 27 through September 1.
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The Irkut MC-21 hit the skies before the general public on Tuesday. The Russian-made passenger jet, whose makers hope it could emerge as a potential competitor to Boeing’s ill-fated 737 MAX, was outfitted with a full passenger cab. It swept up into the sky right after taking off from the Zhukovsky Moscow regional airport and performed some quick turns while still at a relatively low altitude.
During the five-minute demonstration flight, the airliner reached the altitude of 1 kilometer while flying at the speed of 400 kph, the Irkut Company said. The aircraft had successfully gone through several test flights without incident. It is expected to complete certification tests by 2020.
Another highlight of the Moscow International Aviation and Space Salon (MAKS) 2019 was Russia’s cutting-edge fifth-generation fighter jet, the Su-57. The twin-engine multirole jet, designed by the Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi, was developed for air superiority and attack operations.
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At the air show, a group of four Su-57s flew in a tight diamond formation just meters away from each other, while performing maneuvers with unparalleled synchronism. A single Su-57 then stole the limelight of the show by doing some incredible stunts like the Pugachev’s Cobra maneuver, or flat spin – a feat very few modern military aircraft can repeat.
Another Russia’s top notch multipurpose fighter jet, the MiG-35, also showed off moves that seemingly defied physics, as it soared up while performing aileron rolls, only to later do a loop and enter a controlled spin. The multi-role fighter aircraft, set to replace the older generation MiG-29 warplanes, can track up to 30 airborne targets at a distance of up to 160km (100 miles) as well as hit six aerial and four ground targets at once.
More than 800 companies from all corners of the world are taking part in the air salon, where more than 200 aircraft are exhibited.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the air show together with the Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan on its opening day.
