Until the "Baikal" aircraft is ready for mass production, Russia should urgently resume production of already certified An-3 and An-38 models. This is necessary to prevent a shortage of air transportation in the northern and Far Eastern regions. This initiative was put forward by Yuri Petrov, an honored polar explorer, aircraft designer, and head of the aviation support sector for the Northern Sea Route.
The expert linked his proposal to the protracted development of new regional aircraft. According to him, after the transfer of the "Ladoga" project to the enterprises of the United Aircraft Corporation, there is no reason to expect the rapid appearance of the aircraft, since aviation factories are busy fulfilling defense and civilian programs.
Petrov believes that waiting for the completion of new machine development is dangerous now. According to his assessment, the North may lack aircraft in the coming years after the final decommissioning of the old fleet.
According to the designer, the fastest solution would be to return already mastered equipment to production. He recalled that the An-3 has a valid certificate, and all design documentation has been preserved in Omsk. A similar situation, according to him, is with the An-38, which also passed certification and was successfully operated.
Today we are naked. Let's do what we have.
The expert also drew attention to the engine problem. He noted that the new VK-800 and VK-1600 power units continue to be delayed, so waiting for completely new aircraft could take several more years.
In addition, Petrov stated that part of the existing aircraft fleet could be returned to service faster. According to him, new engines for L-410 aircraft remain in warehouses, but civil carriers practically do not use them for repairing aircraft, while the military continues to maintain such aircraft in operation.