RuAviation

A further flight of the Tu-214LL testbed aircraft, tail number 64509, was conducted on 21 February. The take-off was from Kazan Aircraft Production Association airfield, and the primary flight area encompassed the airspace of the Republic of Mordovia and Ryazan Oblast.

The Tu-214, bearing registration RA-64509, was manufactured in Kazan in 2006. It was operated by Transaero airlines but was placed in storage following its bankruptcy in 2015. In June 2024, after restoration to airworthy condition, the aircraft completed its first flight and was subsequently ferried to Minsk for repainting in the corporate livery of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). Upon its return to Kazan, work commenced on its modernisation, including the replacement of imported components with Russian equivalents.

The Tu-214 modernisation programme is aimed at achieving complete import substitution for this aircraft type. According to Order No. 663 of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, dated 31 March 2015, over 240 items of Tu-214 onboard equipment components were required to be replaced with Russian analogues. In total, according to industry representatives, 15 major and approximately 30 minor systems are to be replaced.

The discussion revolved around the replacement of the HG2030AE21 inertial navigation system, the EGPWS enhanced ground proximity warning system, and the RDR-4B weather radar, all manufactured by the American company Honeywell, as well as Air Cruisers emergency and survival equipment. Import substitution was also required for generator drives, fuel and hydraulic pumps and pumping stations, various sensors, relays, electrical connectors, contactors, filters, and components of domestic and other aircraft equipment.

On 22 June 2023, Vadim Korolev, then serving as Managing Director of Tupolev JSC, reported at a meeting in the Government of the Russian Federation that the Tu-214 meets the current requirements of civil aviation, has a high degree of production localisation, and comprises 87% Russian-sourced purchased components. According to him, complete import substitution with domestic components and materials on the Tu-214 aircraft would be completed by the end of 2024.

In November 2024, following the replacement of imported components, the Tu-214LL (64509) made its maiden flight with the updated systems. To ensure the platform’s reliability and safety, the Tu-214LL flight tests include verification of the interaction between the new Russian systems and the aircraft’s existing equipment.

The flying laboratory is also being used to develop a version of the aircraft with a flight deck designed for two crew members. This requirement from Aeroflot will increase the efficiency of the airliner’s operation and reduce airline costs. An updated integrated aircraft control system is being developed to create such a version.

In total, since November 2024, the Tu-214LL (64509) aircraft has completed approximately 20 flights, including an assessment flight following restoration of airworthiness and ferry flights to Minsk and back to Kazan. According to information available to the editors of the Aviation of Russia website, on 21 February 2025, the aircraft performed its 17th flight as a flying laboratory under the certification programme for the import-substituted version of the aircraft. Eight flights were completed in February alone.