The Ural Civil Aviation Plant (UZGA) will begin testing the UTS-800 training aircraft with a VK-800 series engine in 2026. This was stated by an official UZGA representative.
According to him, flight tests of the powerplant are currently being carried out simultaneously on the Yak-40LL flying laboratory and on the LMS-901 "Baikal". Depending on the modification, the power of the VK-800 engine ranges from 807 to 877 hp for the UTS-800.
Testing on the UTS-800 will begin in 2026.
In August 2025, a modification of the VK-800SP aircraft engine with a takeoff power of 806 hp began to be tested on the Yak-40LL. It will become the VK-800SM version and will be the final one for the UTS-800 during certification.
Member of the Public Council of Rostransnadzor Oleg Smirnov told Pervomu tekhnicheskomu that in Russian aviation schools, foreign training aircraft are gradually "being parked by the fence" due to the exhaustion of their service life.