RuAviation

On October 11, 2023, during a working visit to Ulyanovsk and inspection of the implementation of the state defence order at Aviastar, the Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made a landmark announcement on a light transport aircraft for the needs of the army. The IL-112V was supposed to be such an aircraft, but after its crash in Kubinka in August 2021, caused by the TV7-117ST turboprop engine, work on the aircraft was frozen.

“Today we will consider the most important issue that requires its solution has been demanding for a long time. The solution has been found. Now it is necessary to decide on the terms how soon, and how quickly, we will be able to put this decision into practice, I mean light transport aircraft, which should replace the AN-72 and AN-26. What has been done in this part and what is to be done,” said Sergei Shoigu.

Earlier, in June, at SPIEF-2023, Deputy Prime Minister and head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said that the IL-112V aircraft will be redesigned. He noted that the changes will affect the design of the wing and engines. It was clear to aviation industry specialists that the only option in case of such modification could be the use of PD-8 engines, and the aircraft itself would become turbojet rather than turboprop.

On 13 October, this fact was confirmed by an informed RIA Novosti source, telling the agency that the Russian Armed Forces’ fleet of An-26s and An-72s will be replaced by the new Il-212 light military transport aircraft with turbojet engines.

“The IL-112V project will be significantly redesigned and will receive a new designation – IL-212. The aircraft will retain flight equipment and avionics from its predecessor to the maximum extent possible, as well as the fuselage in general. At the same time, it will receive turbojet engines PD-8 instead of turboprop TV7-117ST. Accordingly, the aircraft wing and landing gear will be redesigned, new fuel and hydraulic systems will be installed,” said the agency’s interlocutor.

He specified that “the IL-212’s PD-8 jet engines will be installed above the wing, as well as those of the AN-72, to ensure operation of the new aircraft from unprepared strips and unpaved aerodromes – the engines’ high air intakes practically exclude the chance of sucking in various debris and objects from the ground”.

According to the agency’s source, the indicators of range, payload capacity and dimensions of the cargo cabin are still a matter of development. “For now, we can only say with certainty that the new aircraft will have a greater cargo capacity due to more powerful engines,” he said.