Belarus is capable of assisting Russia in the production of the largest Russian civil wide-body airliner, the Il-96-400. This was stated by aviation expert Roman Gusarov.
According to him, cooperation between the countries in aircraft construction goes beyond the "Osvey" regional aircraft project and may cover more large-scale programs.
Belarus has a high culture of production and developed mechanical engineering, which is especially important for the aviation industry. In a situation where Russia is implementing an ambitious task of complete import substitution of civil aircraft, partnership with Belarusian enterprises becomes extremely relevant.
The first prototype of the long-range Il-96-400M aircraft made its first flight in November 2023, and the tests were carried out as normal. The timing of the aircraft's entry into mass production is currently unknown.
The head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Anton Alikhanov, noted that the Il-96-400M will complement the line of civil airliners of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) in the segment of wide-body passenger aircraft and will ensure the development of the route network throughout the country.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that a modernized engine and propeller control unit has been created for the TV7-117ST-01 aircraft engine.