The new multi-purpose aircraft LMS-901 "Baikal" has received technologies previously used primarily in combat aviation and on the latest civilian liners. The press service of the Ural Civil Aviation Plant (UZGA) provided details.
The An-2 replacement received polymer composite materials, which are already present in the MS-21 liner and the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter. Composites are used in several key elements of the aircraft, UZGA clarified.
Key elements are made from them: cowlings, doors, floors, fairings, and even trimmers – aerodynamic surfaces for balancing the aircraft in flight.
Engineers can orient the fibers precisely according to the directions of loads, which is impossible to achieve with traditional metal. As a result, the structure is both lighter and stronger, UZGA emphasized.
Currently, the Ural plant is at the stage of testing the VK-800SM engine and the AV-901 propeller before the certification of "Baikal". Presumably, the LMS-901 will receive a type certificate at the end of 2027.