United Aircraft has disclosed that its Ilyushin Il-114-300 has carried out over 30 test flights, as it unveils a prototype airframe in corporate livery.
The -300 is a modernised version of the Il-114 twin-turboprop, developed to address Russian requirements for a domestically-built regional aircraft to replace Antonov An-24s.
United Aircraft says the test programme is “intense” and that some of the flights have lasted more than 7h.
“Tests confirm that they match the calculations,” says Ilyushin division managing director Daniil Brenerman. “The aircraft demonstrates excellent flight characteristics.”
The Russian government’s latest fleet forecast, running to the end of the decade, indicates initial production of Il-114-300s in 2026 and demand for 51 aircraft.
United Aircraft says prototype, number 54115, was flown from the Lukhovitsy aviation plant near Moscow for painting at Ulyanovsk.
“[Ilyushin] is implementing a programme of factory flight tests and is preparing to begin certification flights,” says the company.
Completion of the Il-114-300’s painting means all its civil aircraft – including the Yakovlev MC-21 and SJ-100, Tupolev Tu-214, and Il-96-400M – carry the single livery, which was introduced in 2022.
