The programme on development of the advanced PD-14 family of engines designed to power future passenger and transport aircraft passed an important milestone when the first start of a PD-14 core engine demonstrator took place at a stand of the Aviadvigatel company in Perm on 26 November 2010. The programme’s priority is to develop an engine to be used as part of the powerplant of the future Russian short-to-medium-range airliner MC-21 under development by the Irkut corporation now. In this connection, the PD-14 programme is of key importance to the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) in terms of commercial aircraft engine development.

A new Tupolev Tu-214PU aircraft (RA-64520), ordered by the Russian President Administrative Office, first flew from the airfield of the Kazan Aircraft Production Association (KAPO) on 25 November 2010. A crew led by KAPO test pilot Alexey Ryabov flew it. It was the second aircraft of the type to be delivered to the Rossiya special flight detachment and used for travel by top governmental officials – the Russian President and Premier – on their official visits and routine trips throughout the country along with Ilyushin Il-96-300PU and Dassault Falcon 7X planes.

An advanced Antonov An-148-100E (c/n 41-01) built under the contract for two aircraft of the type for the Burmese Defence Ministry conducted its first flight from the airfield of the Voronezh-based VASO aircraft plant on 22 November 2010. The plane became the first An-148 made by VASO for export. The contract was awarded to the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). VASO completed the assembly of the aircraft last autumn and rolled it out to the flight test facility on 11 November. The aircraft was given registration number RA-61707 for the duration of the trials. Its delivery is due early this year following a brief certification flight programme. On the eve of the new year, VASO has completed the other plane An-148 for Burma (c/n 41-03, registration number for the duration of the tests RA-61708). It was rolled out to the flight test facility for ground tests in late December and made its maiden flight in early January 2011.

The first pattern flight of the second prototype of the Mil Mi-38 medium transport helicopter (Prototype OP-2, RA-38012) took place in the city of Kazan on 22 November 2010. The machine was flown by the crew consisting of Mil test pilots Vladimir Kutanin and Salavat Sadriyev as well as Chief Flight Test Engineer Igor Klevantsev. The helicopter was made by Kazan Helicopters in August 2010 and rolled out for ground tests and debugging. Kutanin’s crew conducted the first hover test on 30 October. In all, the second Mi-38 prototype had logged seven hover and low-speed flights over the runway before the end of November.

On 3 November 2010, the Gromov Flight Research Institute (LII) saw the first test flight of the Il-76LL flying testbed (side number 76492) carrying on the left inner engine station an advanced Kaveri afterburning turbofan under development by the GTRE gas turbine laboratory of the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to power the LCA Tejas fighter. The advanced engine was tested in all regimes of the flight that exceeded an hour – from takeoff to landing, including Mach 0.6 cruising flight at an altitude of 6,000 m.