The outlook for mass production of an upgraded Il-96-400M, a four-engine long-range airliner, hinges on the outcome of the ongoing certification tests. A source in the aviation sector, cited by TASS, confirmed that the certification process will determine whether industrial series manufacturing will move forward.
According to the same briefing, the program retains its cadence: the initial flight of the aircraft is anticipated before year’s end, and the first produced sample of the Il-96-400M is slated to serve as a flying laboratory. This approach is designed to validate engineering choices for a wide-body, long-haul platform and to demonstrate the viability of the enhanced design in real-world flight conditions.
Operational testing focuses on modernized subsystems, including a domestic flight and navigation suite that promises improved reliability and self-reliance in challenging airspace. The propulsion system for the aircraft is the PS-90A family, aligned with the program’s objective of leveraging proven, domestically developed engine technology. The team aims to complete the certification milestones by the end of the year, after which a decision on mass production will be made based on performance data, safety margins, and program risk assessments.
In earlier assessments, the Il-96-400M concept also played a role in broader strategic planning, including the concept of a command and control aircraft based on the wide-body airframe. This vision has surfaced in discussions about leveraging the updated airframe’s range, payload, and survivability characteristics to support national-level communications and airspace management needs. The ongoing development underscores a broader push to modernize aviation capabilities with domestically designed and manufactured systems, while maintaining alignment with international certification standards and safety requirements. (Source attribution: TASS)