Russia's Il-114-300 regional passenger plane performs first test flight
MOSCOW. Dec 16 (Interfax) - Russia's new regional turboprop passenger aircraft Ilyushin Il-114-300 performed its first test flight on Wednesday, Rostec said.
The flight, which took place at the Zhukovsky airfield outside Moscow, included testing the plane's engines, its stability and controllability, as well as the functioning of its systems.
"The United Aircraft Corporation plans to finalize the certification of the Il-114-300 in 2022 and to start its serial deliveries in 2023," the Rostec press service quoted the state corporation's general director, Sergei Chemezov, as saying.
Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said the Il-114-300 program envisions the manufacturing of up to 100 planes before 2030, which should be delivered "to the civil aviation sector, state customers, and for exports."
"After receiving a type certificate in 2022, the first serial planes will be prepared for shipments through the GTLK [State Transport Leasing Company]. Polar Airlines should become the first operator," Manturov said.
Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said the new regional aircraft should increase people's mobility.
"Local airlines, dozens of airfields, including those in Siberia and the Far East, will be able to operate this aircraft. The Il-114 can be used on less equipped airfields, on short and unpaved runways," Borisov said.
The Il-114-300's possible versions may include a patrol aircraft, ambulance aircraft, and a plane equipped with ski-and-wheel landing gear to be operated in Arctic conditions.
The United Engine Corporation (UEC) said the first flight demonstrated the performance of the TV7-117ST-01 engine.
"This very power plant ensured the successful maiden flight of the Il-114 plane. The engine is powerful, economical, and easy to service. It is absolutely indispensable for small regional planes operated at small airports with special runways and is adapted as much as possible for such conditions," the UEC press service quoted CEO Alexander Artyukhov as saying.
"Therefore, the Il-114-300's first flight using domestically-manufactured engines is a strategically important event in the development of the Russian civil engine construction sector and civil aviation," Artyukhov said.
The Il-114-300 is a modernized version of the Il-114-100 developed by the Ilyushin design bureau in the 1980s. It is designed to carry up to 68 passengers or up to 6.8 tonnes of cargo on regional routes. The plane is equipped with TV7-117ST-01 turboprop engines designed by UEC-Klimov. The plane's declared range with a maximum payload is 1,400 kilometers, its altitude limit is 7.6 kilometers, and its cruise speed is 500 km/h.
In 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered that the manufacturing of a modernized Il-114 be organized, and the program deadlines have been extended several times since then.
