The LMS-901 Baikal is a project for a light multi-purpose aircraft with one turboprop engine, which is planned to be used in a wide range of aviation works. In particular, it is planned that the An-2 “crop duster” be replaced and used to transport passengers by local airlines. The Ministry of Industry and Trade’s tender for the development of the Baikal was won in 2019 by Baikal Engineering (a subsidiary of the Ural Civil Aviation Plant). When ordering the aircraft, the Ministry indicated that its price should not exceed about 120 million rubles, but in October 2023 its cost increased to about 178 million rubles. However, in dollar terms, it decreased from 1.9356 million US dollars to 1.91136 million US dollars due to the exchange rate.
The LMS-901’s first deliveries have been postponed until 2026 owing to engine and propeller import replacement. The VK-800SM engine for Baikal is planned to be certified by the end of 2024.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 5 speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum, demanded that the development of the Baikal be accelerated and that it be launched into production in the near future. At the same time, the president emphasized that the aircraft’s performance characteristics and cost should be competitive, and the price of a flight on the Baikal should be affordable for citizens.
Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev called for changing the contractor. He noted that the aircraft project is currently unprofitable, and its production is delayed.
Trutnev said that the current cost of one “Baikal” under the project is 500 million rubles. At the same time, the plane will carry up to nine passengers. The Deputy Prime Minister said that with such characteristics, a ticket to “Baikal” would cost “so much that I do not know where to get the money for a flight on such a plane.”
Another problem, according to the presidential representative, is the required length of the runway for landing the aircraft. Currently, “Baikal” is designed for landing on a runway no less than 1050 m long. Yuri Trutnev pointed out that there are very few such runways in the Far East.
“We have 33 runways in the Far East, the length of which exceeds 1,000 meters, which can accommodate such an aircraft. That is, we simply do not have runways,” Mr. Trutnev stated at the final press conference of the Eastern Economic Forum.
In response to this, the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov noted that if the contractor is changed, the period for creating the aircraft will only increase. He considered this inappropriate since it would entail fines and legal proceedings that could seriously worsen the manufacturer’s position. Mr. Alikhanov also added that the Ministry of Industry and Trade, together with the Ministry of Transport, has put the issue of accelerating the implementation of the aircraft project under special control.
First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov announced a revision in the delivery schedule for the LMS-901 from 2025 to 2026. According to him, the project was initially designed to use a foreign engine and propeller, but now these components need import substitution.
At the same time, in May the delivery dates for the Baikals were already adjusted – they were moved from 2024 to 2025, and the volume of the state program was reduced to the production of 139 aircraft.
The state has invested 1.25 billion rubles in the project. This new “flying SUV” for small aviation was showcased for the first time at MAKS-2021.
“Using modern methods of weight and digital optimization, we tried to create a plane that can operate from the same airfields as the An-2. However, ‘Baikal’ has a cruising speed 1.5 times higher: 300 km/h instead of 200. All materials are domestically sourced,” said chief designer Vadim Demin to journalists at the time.
In January 2022, the Baikal prototype made its first flight in Yekaterinburg. “Baikal” is a monoplane. It is 12.2 meters long, with a wingspan of 16.5 meters and a height of 3.7 meters. The maximum takeoff weight is 4.8 tons.
