Russian light aircraft LMS-901 "Baikal" may make its first flight in January
The Russian light multipurpose aircraft LMS-901 "Baikal" may take to the skies in January. This was announced by the Deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia Oleg Bocharov at a meeting on the development of civil aircraft and the renewal of the fleet of civil aviation aircraft, RIA Novosti reports.
"Last year, a prototype of the Baikal light multipurpose aircraft with a passenger capacity of up to nine seats was presented at MAKS. In a unique time frame, the plane made its first breakaway. This is not an official flight yet, we are waiting for the decision of scientific institutes to carry out this flight without fail by the end of the month," Bocharov said.
The Deputy Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade noted that the LMS-901 is designed to work on local airlines. The aircraft is also adapted to work in severe climatic conditions. According to Bocharov, preparations are underway for the first flight. Initially, the certification of the aircraft will be carried out with a foreign-made power plant. After that, Baikal will receive a Russian-made engine.
Work on the LMS-901 project began in 2019. The promising aircraft is designed to replace the outdated AN-2. Serial production of the aircraft is planned to begin in 2024.
Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the country can produce aircraft for regional aviation. He clarified that we are talking about the LMS-901 Baikal aircraft.
