In May 2016, at a meeting on aviation development in Sochi, it was decided to resume production of Il-96-400M passenger aircraft. Initial plans assumed that under the programme to upgrade the IL-96-300 into the IL-96-400M version, six serial airliners would be built as early as 2021-2023 for leasing to Russian air carriers. However, it was only in the spring of 2023 that the first prototype aircraft left the final assembly shop of VASO.
Ground testing of the airliner’s systems and engine race lasted more than four months. According to the editorial office of “Vzlet” magazine, the first taxiing of the 96115 at the factory’s Pridacha airfield took place only in the middle of October, and now the Voronezh aircraft factory is completing preparations for the start of flight tests of the IL-96-400M. The completion of one of the high-speed runs on the runway of the airfield was caught by spotters on 28 October.
The passenger capacity of the Il-96-400M in the single-class configuration will be 436 seats and 386 in the two-class configuration. The maximum take-off weight is not less than 270 tonnes, and the flight range with a payload of 41 tonnes is not less than 9 thousand km. The aircraft is powered by four modernised PS-90A3M turbofan engines. The engine is a boosted version of the PS-90A3 engine in terms of thrust up to 17,500 kgf. Aircraft equipped with the PS-90A3M-based propulsion system must meet ICAO emission and noise standards.
The magazine’s editorial board noted that the prospects for serial production of the Il-96-400M remain uncertain. “The current Comprehensive Development Programme for Russia’s aviation industry until 2030, a new version of which was adopted in late August, provides for the delivery in 2025-2030 of only twelve 237-300-seat Il-96-300 wide-body long-range airliners, while the more spacious Il-96-400M is not yet mentioned in the document,” Vzlet said.
The decision on the feasibility of serial production of the Il-96-400M will be made after certification tests of the machine. It was planned to lift the airliner no later than the end of 2022. At the same time, the first IL-96-400M will be used as a flying laboratory to test technical solutions for wide-body long-haul aircraft. This aircraft will be used to test modernised systems, including a promising domestic complex of piloting and navigation equipment.
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