1 June 2011 saw the maiden flight of a new Tupolev Tu-214-ON special-purpose aircraft at the Kazan Aircraft Production Association’s (KAPO) airfield, with the aircraft manufactured in support of the Open Skies programme. The crew under command of Tupolev’s test pilot Nikolay Kapelkin flew the aircraft (RA-64519) on its first mission that lasted 1 h 22 min. The plane was developed by Tupolev team led by Chief Designer Igor Kabatov and made by KAPO on order of the prime contractor under the Open Skies programme, the Vega radio-electronics corporation. Once the tests have been complete, the aircraft will be delivered to the Russian Defence Ministry.

Among the displays at the current Le Bourget air show, there is to be the Be-200ChS amphibian aircraft brought to Paris by its developer and manufacturer Beriev company. The full-rate production and sales of the Be-200 amphibian is a priority for Beriev, even more so that new prospects are facing the programme now. In September 2010, the Be-200ES-E was issued its long-awaited type certificate by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which paved the way to the Western market for it. Very recently, on 25 May 2011, the Russian Emergencies Ministry awarded Beriev a long-term order for six more Be-200ChS amphibians, with the aircraft to be built in Taganrog this time. Beriev launched manufacture of parts for its own production-standard Be-200ChS amphibians.

Tests of the first upgraded MiG-29UPGs are under way in Zhukovsky, Moscow Region, with the upgrades designed and performed by the MiG Corp. at the request by the Indian Defence Ministry. The first IAF MiG-29UPG serialled KBU3301 flew its maiden mission after the upgrade at the airfield of the LII Gromov Flight Research Institute in Zhukovsky on 4 February 2011. Two more upgraded aircraft including one twin-seater joined it in May when all three aircraft were demonstrated to Indian Air Force delegation headed by IAF’s Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik at LII airfield in Zhukovsky on 23 May 2011.

The key current light helicopter programme being pursued by the Russian Helicopters holding company is the resumed production of the heavily upgraded Mil Mi-34C1 by the Progress aircraft company in the town of Arsenyev. New helicopter features the advanced M9FV piston engine, an up-to-date avionics suite and a number of design and systems improvements aimed at enhancing the operating efficiency and reliability as well as extending the service life of the aircraft. This, coupled with a reasonable price, is going to help the Mi-34C1 to get a good niche on the market.

In March 2011, the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk launched the mooting trials of the Vikramaditya multirole aircraft carrier being developed through overhauling and upgrading the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft-carrying cruiser previously in service with the Russian Navy. “The most difficult and important tests will be those of the propulsion plant. The second priority is to test the radio-electronic systems, including Indian-made systems, and the carrier’s aviation component as well. The final objective of the mooring tests is to prepare the systems and equipment to the nest phase, the factory sea trials, during which the aircraft carrier will put to sea. This phase is slated for late 2011”, said a Sevmash spokesperson.