New Russian regional turboprop Ilyushin Il-114-300 will take to the skies for the first time in September 2020, United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) CEO Yuri Slyusar announced.

The announcement came in an interview with Russian president Vladimir Putin on August 3, 2020. The new airliner will be powered by Klimov TV7-117ST engines and have passenger capacity of up to 68 seats. 

Il-114-300s main niche will be to serve domestic destinations, especially in the Russian Far East and Siberia. UAC spared no expense in stressing aircraft’s entirely domestic origins, stating that it is developed and produced entirely inside Russia, in contrast to the majority of other Russian commercial aircraft. For example, the Sukhoi Superjet 100, whose engines, avionics and other components are manufactured either in conjunction or entirely by Western companies.

Il-114 was first introduced in 1990 and is capable of servicing airports with short and unpaved runways. Its production was stopped in 2012, while in 2014 the development of a new model was started by a decree from the president Vladimir Putin.

The first prototype of Il-114-300 was constructed on the basis of Il-114-100 that was built in 1994, and first rolled out in December 2019. The second prototype, made from scratch, is currently in production. 

According to the manufacturer, Il-114-300 will have cruising speed of 500 km/h, operational range of 1400 kilometers and service ceiling of 7600 meters.