ODK-Klimov is starting to manufacture bench samples of TV7-117ST-02 engines for testing. In December 2023, specialists from the St. Petersburg-based company will send two powerplants to be installed on the TVRS-44 Ladoga aircraft and to prepare the first prototype aircraft for the start of flight tests. This was reported by the press service of the United Engine Corporation.
The engines for the second aircraft will be handed over to the Ural Civil Aviation Plant in the spring of 2024. Three additional engines will also be prepared to go through the necessary stages for certification of the aircraft.
A total of seven propulsion systems required for the Ladoga regional turboprop programme will thus be manufactured by ODK-Klimov for flight testing. Also next year, the certification work on the engine will be completed and the company will move on to the start of serial production.
ODK-Klimov will launch serial production of the TV7-117ST-02 engines in 2025 with a volume of 25 power units per year, the ODK said.
The Comprehensive Plan for Development of the Aviation Industry till 2030 stipulates that the Ladoga aircraft will start being delivered to airlines in 2025. The Ural Civil Aviation Plant is expected to produce 15 aircraft in 2025 and, starting from 2026, will produce 25 planes a year.
But the company won’t be able to fulfill the program approved by the Russian government in 2025, and not a single Ladoga TVRS-44 will be delivered to its customers. UZGA calls the deadlines prescribed in the programme indicative and is guided by the deadlines set out in contracts with airlines – 2026-2027 depending on the operator.
