The Indian Kaveri aircraft engine, for the testing of which the Il-76LL was re-equipped in Russia, may receive certification only in 2027. According to IDRW, the completion of the program, which was previously expected in 2026, is again being postponed due to the need for additional tests and checks.

The Russian Il-76 became a full-fledged flying laboratory for Kaveri at an early stage of the program. On the Il-76LL aircraft, one of the four standard engines was replaced with a Kaveri prototype, after which 27 test flights with a total duration of 55 hours were conducted in Russia.

Tests were carried out at altitudes up to 12 km and speeds up to Mach 0.7. These works became one of the key stages in testing the Indian development in real flight conditions.

According to IDRW, endurance tests remain one of the important stages, and the postponement of certification to 2027 shows that the long-term program has not yet reached its final stage.

The history of Kaveri clearly shows the scale of the task: the engine began to be developed in the late 1980s for an Indian combat aircraft, and decades later its derivatives are still being refined. At the same time, the Russian Il-76LL turned out to be one of the most notable elements of this program - it was on its basis that India got the opportunity to test Kaveri in real flight, and not just on ground stands.