Russian single aisle aircraft was called MS-21 in English before June 2013, but its official name is MC-21. In 2013, Russian deputy premier Dmitry Rogozin indicated that it will be designated Yak-242 once it enters serial production, the name of a 1990s proposal of an aircraft of similar size.

In 2009, the MC-21 was in the “pre-design” phase, with projected completion of the first prototype in 2013 and the first flight in 2014. By June 2011, the “pre-design” phase was completed and the “working design” stage was under way with three-dimensional models and drawings for subcontractors and suppliers, to be completed by mid-2012. On 8 June 2016, the -300 was rolled-out in Irkutsk, East Siberia, six years after program launch and with 175 orders. It could be the first commercial aircraft with an out of autoclave composite manufacturing for its wings. In May 2017, it was undergoing systems ground testing including its auxiliary power unit and taxiing tests.

On 28 May 2017 MC-21 made its successful maiden flight in Irkutsk. 1,000 MC-21s between 2017 and 2037. Its software is adjusted by the results as it is fitted with over 500 strain gauges measuring in-flight loading on the airframe, to verify the initial design, for “several weeks”. EASA approval is targeted for mid-2020.