In Russia, the launch of a new An-2 clone has been postponed for the third time in three years
In Russia, the launch of the LMS-901 “Baikal” light aircraft project—which was intended to replace the Soviet An-2, known as the “Kukuruznik”—has been postponed yet again.
This was announced by Mikhail Parnev, head of the Russian State Transport Leasing Company, in an interview with Vedomosti.
According to him, the first aircraft will not be delivered until 2027 to the “Aerohimflot” alliance of independent operators, and they will be used not for passenger transport but for aerial work.
Initially, serial production of the “Baikal” was planned to begin in 2024, but the timeline was later pushed back to 2025 due to the decision to replace the American General Electric engine with the Russian VK-800. Later, the launch was postponed again to 2026.
In 2025, Yuri Trutnev, the Russian president’s representative in the Far Eastern Federal District, stated that the development project, which had been allocated 3.5 billion rubles, had effectively reached a dead end.
According to Kommersant sources, serious design errors were made during the design phase, which means the aircraft effectively has to be rebuilt from scratch.
Chinahas tested an unmanned transport aircraft.
South Korea has begun testing an urban air taxi.
