Revived Flight Trials of Il-114-300 Renew HAL’s Interest in Regional Airliner Program

⚡️🇮🇳🇷🇺India and Russia begin talks on joint production of Il-114 aircraft: Rostec Chief

The plane is designed to handle short, unpaved runways — even in Arctic cold. pic.twitter.com/DWULMM8h2h

— Sputnik India (@Sputnik_India) December 5, 2025

 

Sputnik India has reported, quoting the Rostec Chief, that India and Russia have begun talks on the joint production of the Il-114-300 aircraft.

The Il-114-300 is a modernised variant of the Il-114. Powered by the newly developed Klimov TV7-117ST turboprop engine, the aircraft is a 52-64-seat regional airliner, an analog of the ATR-42, intended to meet the requirements of regional civil aviation carriers.

Development History

The Il-114 was created in the eighties, taking into account the needs of civil aviation of that time and the capabilities of the Soviet aviation industry. It was a regional liner with a payload of several tons. The first flight took place on March 20, 1990. However, fewer than 20 aircraft were built. Production was halted due to industrial difficulties and lack of customer interest.

In 2014, the Russian leadership ordered the launch of the Il-114-300 variant.

The Il-114-300 variant retains the original airframe but features an improved power plant, high-performance propellers, and avionics, resulting in improved flight performance and operational economic characteristics.

The maiden flight of the aircraft took place at the Zhukovsky airfield on December 16, 2020.

Certification was expected to be completed in 2022, with serial production and deliveries expected to commence in 2023.

Indian Interest

In November 2019, ET reported that HAL is contemplating local assembly of the aircraft for Indian regional commercial flights.

HAL planned to start offering maintenance services for this aircraft in India and later progress to local assembly.

Development Setback

However, flight testing of the airliner was suspended in 2021 due to a problem with the engine. An under-development Il-112V light airlifter, which also uses a TV7-117ST engine, crashed during flight testing due to an engine fire.

The suspension of flight testing enabled the engine manufacturer, UEC-Klimov, not only to correct the fault in the engine but also to significantly expand its operational parameters, including temperature range, altitude, and service life.

At the same time, the design of the Il-114-300 itself underwent some changes. The wings were tweaked to “raise” the engine and thereby increase the distance from the propeller blade tips to the ground surface. Now, according to the designers, the aircraft will be able to land not only on concrete runways but also on unpaved surfaces. In addition, the wing modification provides a larger flap angle and, accordingly, a lower landing speed.

Development Resumption

Flight testing has since resumed. As of September 4, 2024, the aircraft had made more than 30 flights, some of which lasted more than seven hours.

As of February 2025, the aircraft had completed more than 70 flights, including more than 20 certification flights, and had flown more than 200 hours. Serial aircraft planned for delivery to operators are already in production.