RuAviation

The assembly of the fuselage for the first prototype of the TVRS-44 “Ladoga” regional turboprop aircraft is nearing completion at the Avikor-Aviation Plant in Samara. The completed unit is slated for delivery to the customer in the first quarter of 2025. This was announced by Alexey Gusev, Director General of Avikor, to Gennady Kotelnikov, Chairman of the Samara Gubernia Duma, during his visit to the plant in December 2024.

“Avikor has several projects underway. A key one is the production of fuselages for the 44-seat TVRS-44 Ladoga regional aircraft. We’ll deliver the first fuselage in the first quarter of [2025] and hope that, in time, our plant will become one of the final assembly sites for these aircraft, of which many will be needed,” said Alexey Gusev.

According to Gusev, the company possesses the trained personnel, design bureau, and strong connections with its affiliated higher education institution, the Institute of Aviation and Rocket and Space Technology at Samara State University, necessary to fulfil its part of the Ladoga project.

Final assembly of the TVRS-44 will take place at the Ural Civil Aviation Plant’s new production facility in Aramil, Sverdlovsk Region. Other participants in the Ladoga project include:

• the Smolensk Aviation Plant, producing the wing box;
• UZGA’s Nizhny Novgorod site, which is assembling the tail unit;
• ODK-Klimov in St. Petersburg, who will manufacture and supply the TV7-117ST-02 engines.

Provided delivery schedules for other components, aircraft systems and avionics are maintained, the first TVRS-44 prototype could be completed by Autumn this year. The first flight of the prototype is anticipated around late December 2025, or possibly January-February 2026.

Vzlet magazine notes that, alongside the first flight-worthy TVRS-44, production of airframe units for a static test airframe is ongoing at various cooperating facilities, with the airframe being destined for testing at TsAGI (Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute).

“The second flight prototype should then be completed, followed by a resource prototype. In order to accelerate certification, which is estimated to require around 800 flights, discussions are underway with the customer concerning the construction of a third flight prototype,” reports Vzlet.

Under the current Complex Programme for the Development of the Russian Aviation Industry until 2030, the first serial deliveries of 35 TVRS-44 Ladoga aircraft are scheduled for 2028.