According to the head of the Russian Aviation portal, Andrey Velichko, the process of increasing the cost of production of the LMS-901 in today’s realities is quite natural. “Three years ago, the Baikal production cost was set at 120 million rubles, but then there was no talk of full import substitution. At that time, the aircraft had many foreign-made units, including an engine. However , after February 2022 , such components required urgent replacement with This led to additional costs for the design and manufacture of pilot batches of new domestic models, as well as for their testing and certification,” the expert told RG.
He added that the Klimovsky VK-800 will be used as a domestic engine for the LMS-901. However, Klimov will not be involved in its production, but will delegate it to the Ural Civil Aviation Plant, which, in turn, does not have such experience, which will also require additional time and money. The expert believes that in this situation it is impossible to completely solve the problem, but the situation can be improved by subsidizing both the developers and manufacturers, as well as the airlines that will operate the aircraft.
Let’s remember that the Baikal is a Russian multi-role light single-engine aircraft designed to replace the obsolete An-2. The first “Baikals” were originally planned to resupply the fleet of United Far Eastern Airlines and thereby increase the transport accessibility of all regions of the Far Eastern Federal District (FEFD). However, in July, the Deputy Prime Minister, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, Yuri Trutnev, took an interest in the increase in the cost of aircraft and instructed the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Transport to resolve the causes of the problem. problem in two weeks. Later, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Mishustin, after a working trip to the Far Eastern Federal District, issued an order to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry for the Development of the Far East to reduce the prices of aircraft production.
The departments must prepare proposals by September 25 to reduce the cost of building LMS-901, reduce lease payments for its purchases, and revise airport taxes for socially significant transportation in the Far East.
Currently, work is underway to certify the aircraft, which is planned to be completed by the end of 2023, a representative of the Urals Civil Aviation Plant told RG. In addition, the aircraft will be finalized taking into account the characteristics of the consumer: depending on the needs, the vessel can be supplemented with anti-icing, parachute and rescue systems.
