The United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) was unable to deliver three Il-114-300 regional aircraft to the State Transport Leasing Company (STLC) on time. According to a contract concluded about three years ago, all cars had to be handed over to the customer by October 31, 2023.
As an excuse, the UAC recalls the crash of the Il-112V military transport aircraft, which affected the implementation of the Il-114-300 project – both machines are equipped with TV7-117ST engines.
But in the United Engine Corporation (UEC) they do not agree that the reason for the failure of the terms of the contract with STLC was the motors. The terms of manufacture and delivery of power plants fully comply with the approved schedule. And work on the resumption of flight tests of the Il-114-300 is within the competence of the aircraft developer, the UEC said.
“As for the TV7-117ST-01 engines, since October 2022 the aircraft has been provided with engines in a standard design, in December 2022 a type certificate was received for the engine,” the engine builders added.
When flight tests of the Il-114-300 will be resumed, the UAC does not disclose. There they reported that two experimental Il-114-300 aircraft had already been manufactured in Lukhovitsy. At the same time, the plant near Moscow continues to assemble the first serial machines.
It remains to be stated that in seven years the aircraft builders have not yet coped with the task of President Putin, who back in 2016 ordered the launch of the Il-114-300 program. And this despite the fact that the IL-114, on the basis of which a new modification is being created, completed its first flight already in 1990.
The Il-114-300, which can accommodate up to 68 passengers, is designed to replace obsolete An-24s on domestic airlines, as well as foreign-made aircraft of a similar class.
