On March 30, the flight test program of the Il-112V light military transport aircraft, built under a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense, was continued. The flight was carried out at the airfield of the Voronezh Aviation Plant of the United Aircraft Corporation.
The aircraft was piloted by a crew consisting of Chief Pilot of PJSC "Il", 1st class test pilot, Hero of Russia Nikolai Kuimov, 1st class test pilot Dmitry Komarov, 1st class test flight engineer Nikolai Khludeev.
During the flight, the operating modes of the power plant, stability and controllability, the operation of the main systems of the aircraft were checked. The flight lasted about 30 minutes and went on as usual. According to the crew commander, the flight mission was completed.
The aircraft is designed to transport cargo weighing up to 5 tons. The machine is equipped with a spacious transport compartment, capable of operating in difficult climatic conditions, from unpaved airfields and in high altitude conditions. The characteristics and reliability of the aircraft make it possible to use the Il-112 for commercial transportation. In the future, the aircraft will replace the An-26 fleet, the service life of which is coming to an end.
The aircraft is designed according to advanced digital technologies and is equipped with advanced domestic avionics. Flight and navigation equipment provides pilots with the ability to automatically approach categorized aerodromes at a minimum of ICAO Category II and manual approach to poorly equipped and radioactively unequipped aerodromes. The use of a power plant based on the TV7-117ST engine made it possible to reduce fuel consumption and increase the cruising flight speed. The flight range of the new transport aircraft with a maximum load is 1200 km. Cruising speed - 470 km/h.
“From the moment of the first flight, during which the main aerodynamic characteristics were checked, all aircraft systems were refined and work was carried out to reduce the weight of the aircraft, which made it possible to transfer the aircraft to the stage of preliminary tests conducted jointly with the Ministry of Defense. At the same time, production is being prepared for serial production of up to 12 aircraft per year, which will satisfy the needs of the Ministry of Defense for military transport aircraft of this type and ensure a steady workload for the enterprise,” said Sergei Yarkovoy, First Deputy General Director of UAC, Managing Director of Il PJSC.
The aircraft received an enlarged cargo compartment in comparison with the An-26, which allows accommodating a UAZ-452 vehicle, as well as most types of army containers, including those with aircraft engines.
The second prototype of the Il-112V is at the Zhukovsky Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI), where its life tests are carried out.
IL-112V is manufactured by the Voronezh Aviation Plant. Today the company manufactures two more machines for testing.
