The idea of installing promising PD-35 engines on a wide-body aircraft of the Il-96 line has the right to life, but in practice it will be a completely new aircraft. Honored Pilot of the USSR, member of the Public Council of Rostransnadzor Oleg Smirnov told "The First Technical" about this in an interview.
According to him, the Il-96 is a magnificent machine on which the President of Russia flies around the world. But the aircraft has increased consumption due to four PS-90 engines.
Installing the PD-35 is a great idea, but it will not be an Il-96, but a completely different aircraft. Different aerodynamics, a different wing, on which only one engine will be installed. This is in the trend of world practice, because commercial aviation in the world has abandoned four-engine aircraft. We will have to start from scratch, but the aerodynamic and engineering base of the Il-96 can be used for subsequent production.
Aviation expert Roman Gusarov stated to "The First Technical" that the idea of putting the PD-35 on the Il-96-400 is theoretically feasible, but the implementation is associated with a number of difficulties in the design of the aircraft. The plans to install promising engines on the Il-96-400 were announced back in the summer of 2025 by UAC head Vadim Badeha.
