LE BOURGET, (France), June 20. /TASS/. The debut flight of Russia’s new Ilyushin Il-112V military transport plane has been rescheduled for early 2018, Ilyushin Aircraft Company Chief Designer Nikolai Talikov told TASS on Tuesday.
"Our plans point to the end of this year. However, the first flight will most likely be rescheduled for the beginning of next year," the chief designer said.
The debut flight’s rescheduling "is largely due to equipment" and won’t affect the start of the plane’s serial construction, the chief designer said.
"We presume that the trials will last no less than two years. Further plans for the serial production remain as before," he noted.
The preparations for the serial production of the Il-112V plane at the Voronezh Aviation Enterprise have been launched along with the manufacture of the first machine, the chief designer said.
"We won’t separate the prototype aircraft and the series. In the final account, the fate of this project will be determined after two or three prototype planes are built," he added.
The Il-112V lightweight military transport plane with a maximum load of up to 5 tonnes is designed for transporting personnel, military hardware, various armaments and other cargoes. The plane is being developed as a replacement for the Antonov An-26 and An-24 turboprop aircraft.
The Il-112V can be used at small unequipped aerodromes with both concrete-paved and dirt runways. The plane is planned to be produced in two modifications: for civil aviation (the Il-112T) and for military transport aviation (the Il-112V). It was reported earlier that Russia’s Defense Ministry wanted to order 62 such planes.