On March 31, 2024, the Russian United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) PJSC disclosed that the second experimental aircraft, the Il-114-300, flew for the first time from the airport of UAC PJSC’s Lukhovitsy Aircraft Plant. This aircraft is also the first of its kind to be newly built.
According to UAC’s announcement, the Il-114-300 flight testing program has restarted, and the second test aircraft took off from the airport of the PJSC “UAC” branch – LAZ named after P.A. Voronin.
The aircraft was piloted by the aircraft commander, chief pilot, Honored Test Pilot of the Russian Federation Sergey Sukhary, Honored Test Pilot of the Russian Federation Igor Zinov, and 1st Class Test Engineer Oleg Gryazev. The flight lasted 40 minutes and reached altitudes of up to 900 meters at speeds of up to 230 kilometers per hour.
It should be noted that UAC has been trying to resume manufacturing the Il-114 aircraft in its updated form, the Il-114-300, since 2014. The Il-114-300 regional turboprop passenger plane is expected to have a flight range of up to 4800 km with a load of 1000 kg and 3250 km with 1000 kg, with a maximum fuel reserve of up to 5600 km. The highest fuel reserves will result in an hourly fuel usage of 550 kg.
The Il-114 can carry up to 64 passengers. Its powerplant comprises two TVD TV7-117ST-01 engines, each capable of producing 2500 horsepower. The maximum takeoff weight is 23.5 tons, and the maximum payload is 6500 kilograms. The cruise speed is 500 km/h, the cruising altitude is 7600 meters, and the takeoff/landing distance is 1350/1350 meters.
During the testing, the aircraft’s stability and controllability were assessed and the reliability of Russian systems and equipment, most of which are made by Rostec State Corporation firms.
The crew commander stated that the flight went well, that the systems and equipment operated properly, and that the flight plan was entirely executed. Before the flights, the aircraft conducted ground tests at the workshop and airfield. The flight test program also included taxiing and high-speed runs.
The aircraft developer is a subsidiary of UAC – PJSC “Il,” and the final assembly occurs at the Lukhovitsy, Moscow Region plant.
The Il-114-300 aircraft is made up of Russian components, with various UAC firms cooperating. The aircraft design data has been digitized, and a digital model of the aircraft has been generated. This enables PJSC “Il” and the aircraft plants involved in the collaboration to operate in a unified information space.
The new regional Il-114-300 has enhanced flight and technical characteristics, made greater use of composite materials, and features a new digital piloting and navigation system. Almost all primary aircraft systems have been updated, focusing on increasing crew cabin ergonomics.
The Il-114-300 regional passenger aircraft has a maximum seating capacity of 68. It will replace the An-24 on domestic airlines. The Il-114-300 can fly independently from relatively modest aerodromes with both concrete and unpaved surfaces. Furthermore, it is designed for use in Arctic climates.
The aircraft’s TV7-117ST-01 engine has undergone several improvements. A new auxiliary power unit (TA 14-114) has also been fitted, giving the aircraft autonomy during service and preparation for flying at poorly equipped airfields.
The TV7-117ST-01 aircraft engine is a new development of the St. Petersburg company ODK-Klimov. It was certified in December 2022. The powerplant has improved power in takeoff mode and also has a new AV112-114 propeller with a thrust of 4 tons.
According to Vadim Badekha, General Director of ODK and member of the “SoyuzMash Russia” LLC’s Central Council Bureau, the TV7-117ST-01 engine is powerful, dependable, and simple to maintain. ODK engineers have worked extensively to improve the operational characteristics of the TV7-117 engine family powerplants. ODK is boosting its production capacity and is preparing to begin serial deliveries of the TV7-117ST-01 to answer the aviation industry’s need for homegrown engines.
At the MAKS-2017 air show, State Transport Leasing Company (GTLK) signed an agreement with UAC to purchase 50 Il-114-300 aircraft, the first three of which will be delivered in 2020. In 2021, UAC stated its aim to certify the Il-114-300 by the fall of 2023 and begin serial production with 12 aircraft per year beginning in 2025. However, the program has evolved into a long-term project with dubious prospects, aggravated by the troublesome nature of the TV7-117ST engine series.
The first experimental prototype of the Il-114-300 was a modified serial Il-114 aircraft with factory number 1033830030 and serial number 01-08, built in 1994 by the Tashkent Aviation Production Association named after V.P. Chkalov and stored in Zhukovsky since 2000. Since 2016, the aircraft has been converted in the hangar of the PJSC “Il” branch in Zhukovsky into an Il-114-300 prototype, receiving, among other things, new TV7-117ST-01 engines and new onboard equipment, including the digital navigation-piloting complex CNPK-114M2, and made its first flight in Zhukovsky on December 16, 2020. However, tests were halted in August 2021 due to the crash of an experimental Il-112V military transport aircraft equipped with the identical TV7-117ST engines manufactured by ODK-Klimov.
The Federal Air Transport Agency issued a type certificate for the TV7-117ST-01 turboprop engine at the end of December 2022, stating it is now “ready.”
At LAZ, the third flying prototype of the Il-114-300 (the second fully new one) is currently being built.
The Il-114-300 construction program includes VASO, producing various critical airframe components, such as wings and empennage with mechanization, engine nacelles, etc. As part of the collaboration, PJSC “VASO” will manufacture 42% of the airframe aggregates for the Il-114-300 aircraft. The Aviastar-SP company in Ulyanovsk manufactures fuselage panels for the Il-114-300 aircraft. The Nizhny Novgorod Aircraft Plant (NAZ) “Sokol” produces the Il-114-300 fuselage fairings built in Ulyanovsk. NAZ will manufacture approximately 40% of the aggregates and units for the Il-114-300 aircraft.