Aircraft battery manufacturer Saft (Hall 2b 137D) signed a contract this week with Zodiac Aero Electric to provide the former’s ultra-low-maintenance (ULM) onboard batteries for the Irkut MC-21 medium-range airliner.
Zodiac Aero Electric is delivering the aircraft’s primary power distribution system on behalf of the Russia’s Irkut, which is part of the United Aircraft Corp. group, and has thus turned to Saft to supply the onboard batteries that will provide power to start the auxiliary power unit and provide emergency backup and buffering for critical systems.
The contract builds on Saft’s success in delivering batteries for the Sukhoi Superjet 100. Irkut has already received 257 orders for the MC-21, and Saft estimates that more than 8,000 batteries will be delivered specifically for this program over the next 20 years, including aftermarket demand.
First flight of the MC-21 is planned for 2016, with service entry pegged for 2018.