Serial deliveries of the Baikal light aircraft, which are to replace the " кукурузникам" (An-2 model), will begin no earlier than 2030. This was announced by the head of Rusaviaprom, Alexey Kryukov.
The manufacturer of "Baikal", the Ural Civil Aviation Plant (UZGA), plans to start the first deliveries as early as 2026. By 2030, 139 units of LMS-901 "Baikal" should be produced.
Today, Baikal has no heart, no engine. Certification procedures in this project may shift to the right by another two to three years.
Alexey Kryukov noted that one of the possible reasons for the postponement may be preparation for mass production. Preparation alone can take up to two years according to optimistic forecasts, and in reality this period can last about five years.
When you need to produce five aircraft a year, as UZGA currently assumes, it is one staff of people, one production, one procurement site, one co-supplier. When you need to produce dozens of aircraft a year, it is a completely different cooperation.
Despite initial plans, the actual timing of the start of serial deliveries may be significantly delayed.
Earlier www1.ru reported that the cost of the Baikal aircraft was deemed unaffordable and commercially unattractive.
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