As part of the tests, a prototype of the Il-114-300 turboprop passenger aircraft performed taxiing and a run at the airfield of the Voronin Lukhovitsky Aircraft Plant (LAZ, part of UAC). Specialists are preparing it for its first flight.
Until 2012, the Il-114 was mass-produced at an aircraft factory in Tashkent. In 2016, the Russian authorities decided to organize their own production of the Il-114. In 2017, PJSC "Il" and RSK "MiG" concluded a contract for LAZ employees to carry out development work on the modernized Il-114-300.
It was expected that the new Il-114 would receive Russian TV7-117ST-01 turboprop engines and AV-112-114 six-blade propellers, as well as a TA14-114 auxiliary power unit. Experts also planned that the Russian version of the aircraft would be equipped with domestic navigation systems. The capacity of the aircraft is up to 68 people.
The History of the Il-114-300 Began Back in 1994
A prototype of the Il-114-300 based on a Uzbekistan aircraft was manufactured in 1994 at the PJSC "Il" site in the Moscow region. It received TV7-117ST-01 engines. It was ready for flight tests only at the end of 2020. In the spring of 2021, the aircraft began to be tested and was even presented at the MAKS-2021 air show.
However, after the crash of the Il-112V, which flew with a similar type of engine, the tests of the Il-114-300 were suspended. The tests of the Il-114-300, which was assembled at the Lukhovitsky Aircraft Plant, were also repeatedly postponed.
Will the Il-114-300 Take Off?
In December 2022, Rosaviatsiya approved a certificate for the TV7-117ST-01 engine. In addition, the aviation authorities removed a number of restrictions on the speed and altitude of the aircraft with such a power plant.
ODK-Klimov later stated that both TV7-117ST-01 engines were installed on the Il-114-300 and were ready for testing. Another 6 engines are being finalized. They were supposed to be handed over to aircraft factories by the end of last year. Experts are cautiously optimistic about the fact that work on the Il-114-300 is not stopping and the aircraft will still be able to take to the air.
Read on the topic:
The timing of the release of the Il-212 prototype with turbojet engines has been announced