The development of the LMS-901 "Baikal" aircraft has stalled due to excessive requirements for the airfield (runway) in the conditions of use in regions where such conditions simply do not exist. Now the Ural Civil Aviation Plant (UZGA) will have to report on exactly what it spent the money on, said Honored Pilot of the USSR, member of the Public Council of Rostransnadzor Oleg Smirnov.
According to him, the manufacturer, in fact, "deceived" the state by requesting billions, and as a result, an absolutely unsuitable aircraft was obtained.
The design was recognized as unsuitable for regional aviation. Judge for yourself: the An-2 needed a runway of 400 m, and the "Baikal" needs 1200 meters. Where in the regions, where there is no runway in principle, can you find such conditions? It is clear that this is a dead end.
Smirnov recalled that the An-2, which the "Baikal" was developed to replace, was often landed outside of airfields. And for the LMS-901 model, it is still necessary to find a long runway in the region.
And also - the An-2 was designed for 12 passengers, the "Baikal" - for 8-9. In addition, it flies on gasoline, not kerosene. And we have stopped producing aviation gasoline. Whichever way you turn, it's a dead end. The "Baikal" turned out to be such a plastic toy for reporting to officials.
As a reminder, in October, the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Anton Alikhanov, stated that the Baikal aircraft will take to the skies as early as 2025. There has been no news about this yet.