The light multipurpose 19-seat turboprop LMS-192 “Osvey” is being developed within the framework of the Comprehensive Interdepartmental Programme of Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus in the field of aircraft construction in order to ensure safety and achieve technological sovereignty of Russia and Belarus. The project is being jointly developed by JSC Ural Civil Aviation Plant (UZGA, Ekaterinburg) and JSC 558 Aviation Repair Plant (Baranovichi).
The agreement on the development and organisation of serial production of the Osvey aircraft was signed on 15 April 2024 between the governments of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. UZGA was appointed as the lead contractor, while the 558th ARZ was appointed as a co-executor by Belarus, which under the agreement creates production facilities, while the Russian side ensures that orders are placed at the 558th ARZ for the production of at least 178 fuselages and 50 per cent of the total number of aircraft envisaged for delivery by 2030, but not less than 89 units.
The agreement also stipulates that UZGA will become the designer, manufacturer and holder of the type certificate for the aircraft, while the 558th Aircraft Repair Plant will become the manufacturer and holder of the licence for serial production of the products and their modifications with the right to make changes.
The first Russian-Belarusian LMS-401 aircraft are planned to be produced in two years’ time
In May 2024, several significant events took place on the aircraft project. Firstly, the aircraft was included in the adjusted comprehensive programme for the development of the domestic aviation industry until 2030. According to the plans, joint serial production will start in 2027 with the production of 20 machines at once. From 2028, the rate of production should increase to 46 aircraft, and a total of 158 units of Osvey aircraft should be produced by the end of 2030. From the same edition of the programme it became known that the design name of the aircraft is LMS-192, earlier the Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko reported that the machine will be a 12-seater with the name LMS-401.
On 22 May 2024, during a trip to Tatarstan, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Piotr Parkhomchik said that the first prototype aircraft “Osvey” will appear in 2026. On 24 May, his words were confirmed by Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. “We expect that at the end of 2026 – beginning of 2027 should appear already a prototype and tests of the 19-seat machine should begin,” he told reporters.
The second event – it became known how the joint Osevay aircraft will look like: a new section with a description and image of the aircraft was opened on the website of the 558th Aviaremzavod. The press service of the plant explained that the aircraft is intended for the needs of state aviation with the possibility of use in civil aviation, including commercial air transportations on local and regional air lines.
The main task set before the designers is to create an aircraft that combines high performance and efficiency in transporting passengers and cargo over short and medium distances. The aircraft must be extremely reliable and safe in operation, including when transporting passengers in extreme climatic conditions.
Osway is a girt-winged high-plane with a single-keel vertical and normal horizontal plumage. The propulsion system includes two VK-800SM turboprop engines, the work on which is being carried out by UZGA, six-bladed propellers, non-retractable landing gear. The onboard equipment is being developed by the Russian concern Radioelectronic Technologies (KRET) on the basis of its earlier designs.
The VK-800SM is designed according to the traditional scheme for engines of this size: a compressor with one highly loaded, highly efficient centrifugal stage and a single-stage turbine. The free turbine is a two-stage turbine. A distinctive feature is the use of film cooling in the combustion chamber design, which reduces the cooling air consumption and significantly increases the engine efficiency. Application of modern technologies of casting turbine blades with heat-resistant alloys will contribute to improvement of the engine resource characteristics. The most careful attention is paid to the reliability of the engine, given that it is also used as part of the propulsion system of the single-engine LMS-901 Baikal.
The name of the aircraft Osvey comes from the name of one of the lakes in Belarus – Lake Osvejskoye or Osveya, which belongs to the basin of the Western Dvina River. The lake is located in the Vitebsk region near the borders of Belarus with the Pskov region of Russia and Latvia. This approach to the naming of small aircraft continues the tradition of naming them after large lakes, as exemplified by Baikal (LMS-901) and Ladoga (TVRS-44).
The LMS-192 Osvey project is a clear confirmation of close and active co-operation between Russia and Belarus in the field of aircraft construction, which has been repeatedly called for by both Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko. Joint work is aimed at creating modern high-quality and reliable aircraft to meet the needs of regional aviation.
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