According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Il-96-300 aircraft are being assembled at the Voronezh Aircraft Factory
TYUMEN, September 17. /TASS/. Plans to create an upgraded version of the Il-96 with two engines instead of four remain, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov told reporters on the sidelines of the Tyumen Oil and Gas Forum.
"Yes, it is (a twin-engine version of the aircraft-approx. TASS) is considered if there are works carried out on the PD-35 engine on time, " Borisov said. - You know that the PD-35 engine is being developed in Perm as part of the creation of a Russian-Chinese wide-body aircraft. The presence of this engine will give a new life to the aircraft (Il-96-approx. TASS). This is one of the branches on which we, apparently, will go. The aircraft is very successful from the point of view of the overall design." The Deputy Prime Minister noted that the aircraft is now equipped with four PS-90A engines. Replacing the engines will require a large-scale modernization and redesign of the wing, he added.
According to Borisov, the Il-96-300 aircraft are currently being assembled at the Voronezh Aircraft Manufacturing Plant (VASO), four aircraft are being built at the production site.
Il-96-300 - a wide-body long-haul aircraft, the first flight of which took place in 1988. Now the aircraft is operated only by a special flight detachment "Russia", commercial airlines of the Russian Federation do not use it. Also, several Il-96s are used by the Kuban national airline Cubana.
At the moment, PJSC " Il " is creating the Il-96-400M-a version of the Il-96-400 for civil aviation with a fuselage lengthened by 9.35 m, as well as a new modernized digital flight and navigation complex that allows operating the aircraft without restrictions in any region of the globe. It is planned to build a prototype in 2021.
As previously reported by the head of Rostec (which includes the United Engine Corporation) Sergey Chemezov, the PD-35 engine will be ready by 2025-2026.