The first flight of the new light aircraft "Baikal" with a domestic VK-800 engine is expected in the near future. This was reported in the press service of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The department noted that the Ural Civil Aviation Plant (UZGA) has already manufactured prototypes of the aircraft and power plant, and conducted tests of the unit on the Yak-40 flying laboratory.
Certification tests are currently underway. The first flight of the aircraft with the VK-800 engine is expected in the near future.
The day before, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a direct line that the country needs aircraft for light aircraft transportation.
The nine-seat Baikal aircraft should replace the Soviet An-2 on local airlines. The first flight of the aircraft took place on January 30, 2022, it spent about 25 minutes in the air at an altitude of 500 meters. In October 2025, the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Anton Alikhanov, promised to get the Baikal into the sky before the end of the year.
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