Russia's United Air Corporation (UAC) announced the maiden flight of the Ilyushin Il-112V tactical airlifter on 31 March.
The Ilyushin Il-112V making its maiden flight on 31 March.Photo by: UAC
The twin-turboprop aircraft made its first flight from the Voronezh Aircraft Plant on the same day as the announcement.
The Il-112V was selected to replace the Soviet-era Antonov An-26 'Curl' airlifter in 2003, with more than 100 airframes set to be delivered to the air force. However, the effort stalled following the Russian Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) cessation of funding in May 2010, only to be revived again in 2014.
In 2015 it was reported that a production contract would be awarded before the end of 2017, but according to Jane's All the World's Aircraft: Development & Production this did not happen and to date no such contract has been announced.