Novosibirsk. June 30. INTERFAX - Specialists from the Siberian Research Institute of Aviation named after S.A. Chaplygin (SibNIA, part of the N.E. Zhukovsky Scientific Research Center) successfully completed the first runs and approaches of the Yak-40 flying laboratory with a prototype of the new Russian VK-800 turboprop engine last weekend, the SibNIA press service reports.
"These works are being carried out to ensure the certification tests of this engine as part of the Yak-40 flying laboratory. The next step is to perform a set of test flights confirming its safety and readiness for mass production," the report says.
The engine is designed for various Russian projects, including the LMS-901 Baikal light multipurpose aircraft, the UTS-800 training aircraft, the LMS-192 Osvey Russian-Belarusian regional aircraft and the L-410 localized aircraft re-engine. The maximum engine power ranges from 807 to 877 hp, depending on the specific requirements and application.
As reported, Ural Civil Aviation Plant JSC (UZGA) has started certification tests of the VK-800 engine, the engine was transferred to SibNIA.
The VK-800 engine has been developed since 2019, the gas generator was assembled in 2022, and factory finishing tests began in 2023. In 2024, the letter "O" was assigned to the design documentation, which means completion of development and completion of testing.
In April 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation signed a contract with UZGA for the development of a light multipurpose aircraft LMS-901 Baikal with a domestic power plant. The work should be completed by December 17, 2027, and its maximum cost is estimated at 10.4 billion rubles.
The nine-seat Baikal is being created for regional air lines and is intended to replace the Corncob of the An-2. The first tender of the Ministry of Industry and Trade for the development of Baikal in 2019 was won by the structure of the Ural Civil Aviation Plant, Baikal Engineering LLC. Three prototypes of the aircraft were equipped with General Electric H80-100 engines and Hartzell Propeller propellers (both manufacturers are from the USA). In 2022, the foreign partners withdrew from the project. The need to refine the liner, taking into account the import substitution of key components, led to a significant shift in the timing of the project, the Ministry of Industry and Trade explained.
The first deliveries of Baikal are expected at the end of 2026, Anton Alikhanov, head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said in March. The launch customer is Aurora Airlines, with which an agreement has been signed for 95 such aircraft. According to the Comprehensive Aviation Industry Development Program, a total of 139 such aircraft are planned to be produced by 2030. UZGA CEO Leonid Luzgin reported in an interview with Vedomosti newspaper that the cost of one such aircraft would range from 220 million to 340 million rubles.
SibNIA is the largest scientific research center of aviation science in the east of Russia. Over the years, the Institute carried out research work for the Tupolev, Antonov, Yakovlev, Mil, and Kamov Design bureaus. SibNIA's tasks include the creation of scientific and technical groundwork for the development of a new generation of aircraft - long-, short- and medium-range, local and regional aircraft, general aviation and special-purpose aircraft.
