MOSCOW. April 1 (Interfax-AVN) - The Permskiye Motory engine- building company will supply four repaired PS-90A-76 aircraft engines to the Ilyushin aircraft corporation in April for installation into the first IL-76MF Candid military transport prototype, Ilyushin Director General Viktor Livanov said on Monday.
Flight tests of the aircraft will continue immediately after installation of the engines, Livanov told Interfax-Military News Agency. When three more flights are made and a new stage of the tests is completed, a preliminary resolution on the possibility of the plane's commissioning by the Air Force will be drafted.
Air Force Commander Vladimir Mikhailov is taking measures to raise funds for procurement of the first two IL-76MF planes that have been built by the Taskhent Aircraft Production Association (TAPO) in Uzbekistan. "First payments may be transferred to TAPO this year, and the planes are likely to be transferred to the Russian Air Force in 2003," Livanov said.
In addition, he said that the possibility of the plane's mass production at the Voronezh aircraft plant in Russia was being studied.
"By spending USD132m over about 2.5 years, the domestic aircraft industry is capable of mastering serial production of the IL-76MF planes at facilities of the Voronezh joint-stock aircraft production association, Livanov stressed.
The IL-76MF differs from the baseline IL-76MF in having a fuselage 6m longer, cargo capacity 60t higher and specifications improved through replacement of D-30KP engines developing 12t with PS-90A-76 engines developing 16t.