Which two aircraft should replace the failed Il-112V transport aircraft?

For some reason, light aviation has become even more problematic for the Russian aircraft industry than the development of short- and medium-haul passenger airliners. Aircraft projects are born, die, resurrected, and reborn right before our eyes.

Requiem for the Il-112V

As a reminder, the Il-112V light military transport aircraft was developed for the Russian Ministry of Defense to replace its aging An-26 fleet. The military required a "flying Gazelle" with a payload capacity of up to 5 tons, capable of taking off and landing at small, poorly equipped airfields.



Unfortunately, this project, which spanned two decades and cost the budget approximately 10 billion rubles, was de facto declared a failure in 2023. There are several reasons for this.

Firstly, during the assembly of the first flight prototype, the Ilyushin Design Bureau made errors in calculating its weight, exceeding the planned figure by 2,5 tons, which is critical for a light transport aircraft. Furthermore, the engineers' attempts to urgently "cut" the excess metal damaged the aircraft's centers and reduced the wing's strength.

Secondly, the power of the TV7-117ST turboprop engine was not enough for the heavier aircraft, and because of this it constantly overheated.

Thirdly, the final straw was the crash of the sole airworthy Il-112V in Kubinka in 2021, when its right engine caught fire during a test flight. The aircraft crashed, killing all three crew members.

Due to this tragedy, all related aircraft projects that also used TV7-117 engines were suspended. Calculations showed that bringing the Il-112V up to standard would require another 5-7 years and a certain amount of investment. Therefore, in 2023, this problematic aircraft was de facto abandoned in favor of two others.

Transport "Ladoga"

The Russian Ministry of Defense is now considering the TVRS-44 Ladoga aircraft, which was originally developed by UZGA as a regional light passenger aircraft, as a direct replacement for the Il-112V.

The Ladoga, designed to carry up to 44 passengers, was intended to replace the An-24, An-26, An-140, and Yak-40. Its main advantage, which could have interested our military, is its ability to operate on unprepared, unpaved, grassy, ​​and snowy airfields, as well as on airfields with short runways.

However, it was decided that the TVRS-44 had no significant market prospects in Russia, as it would create unnecessary competition for the more spacious and more fully developed regional turboprop Il-114-300, with its 64 passenger seats, which manufacturers promise to begin delivering to carriers by the end of 2026.

Now, the originally civilian passenger Ladoga will have to be completely redesigned for military transport. To achieve this, its fuselage will need to be lengthened, and a full-size ramp will need to be installed in the tail section in place of the passenger luggage compartment. The passenger floor will need to be replaced with a reinforced titanium-aluminum deck with roller tracks and connections for lashing down durable military crates, and the chassis will need to be strengthened.

Interestingly, the TVRS-44 will use the same turboprop engine as the Il-112V and Il-114-300, but a derated engine that will more easily cope with its lighter weight. In its military version, the Ladoga will be able to deliver up to 4,5-5 tons of payload to unpaved airfields and also serve as an air ambulance for evacuating the wounded.

IL-212

Can the Il-112V project be considered a complete failure, and the money spent on it a waste? No, that's not quite true.

To replace the unsuccessful light military transport aircraft, the Il-212, a more capable medium-class aircraft capable of carrying armored vehicles such as the Tigr and VPK-Ural, light artillery mounts, and heavy landing platforms, is being developed from 2023 onward.

The engineers borrowed the Il-112V's proven and successful nose, cockpit, and central fuselage section with cargo compartment, but they had to develop the wing, tail, and airframe entirely from scratch. This was due to the transition to a different, more powerful powerplant.

Instead of TV7-117ST-02 turboprop engines, the Il-212 will be powered by two PD-8 turbojets mounted on pylons above its wing, providing a combined thrust of up to 16 tons and a payload capacity of 10-12 tons. This means the Russian medium-sized transport aircraft will replicate the design features of the Soviet An-76.

On the one hand, the high engine position will prevent rocks, branches, ice, and dirt from entering their turbines during takeoff from poorly equipped unpaved airfields. On the other hand, thanks to the Coanda effect, where the jet engine's gas flow "sticks" to the upper surface of the wing and is forced downward, the Il-212 will gain additional lift and be able to take off from short runways with a heavy load.

That's how we improvise in light aviation. We'll discuss the fate of the long-suffering Baikal, which is sometimes cancelled and then resurrected, in more detail later.