The first prototype of the regional turboprop aircraft TVRS-44 Ladoga is nearing completion in the fuselage production at the assembly and fabrication shop of Aviakor Aviation Plant JSC in Samara.
Designed to operate in remote regions with harsh climatic conditions and satisfy contemporary standards for comfortable passenger transportation, the TVRS-44 Ladoga is a 44-seat high-wing aircraft that is equipped with two Russian TV7-117ST-02 turboprop engines.
The TVRS-44 Ladoga is designed to achieve a prominent position in the regional turboprop aircraft class, as indicated by the manufacturer. This is achieved through its exceptional flight performance characteristics and its ability to operate on short and unprepared runways.
The customer will receive the assembled product during the first quarter of 2025. The Chairman of the Samara Regional Duma, Gennady Kotelnikov, was informed of this by the General Director of Aviakor, Alexey Gusev, during his visit to the facility in December 2024.
According to Alexey Gusev, “Aviakor has several projects. One of the main ones is the production of fuselages for the regional aviation aircraft TVRS-44, or ‘Ladoga,’ with a capacity of 44 passenger seats. In the first quarter of next year [2025], we will deliver the first fuselage, and we hope that over time, our plant will become one of the final assembly sites for these aircraft, as a significant number of them will be needed.”
He asserts that the company possesses the necessary personnel, a design bureau, and strong relationships with a specialized and critical educational institution, the Institute of Aviation, Rocket, and Space Technology of Samara State University, to successfully execute its part of the Ladoga project.
The final assembly of the TVRS-44 aircraft will occur in a new production facility located in Aramil, Sverdlovsk Region, at the Ural Civil Aviation Plant (UZGA). The Smolensk Aviation Plant, which is responsible for the wing box, UZGA’s site in Nizhny Novgorod, where the tail assembly is being manufactured, and UEC-Klimov in St. Petersburg, which will produce and supply the TV7-117ST-02 engines, are also participating in the cooperative production of Ladoga.
The first TVRS-44 prototype may be finished by the autumn of this year if the delivery schedules for other components, aircraft systems, and onboard equipment from partner companies are met. The prototype aircraft is anticipated to make its inaugural flight in either late December 2025 or January-February 2026.
The editors of the Vzlet magazine reported that the collaborative companies are currently in the process of manufacturing components for a static test airframe, which will be subjected to trials at TsAGI, while the first flying prototype of the TVRS-44 is being assembled.
According to Vzlet, the second flight prototype must be prepared next, followed by the fatigue test airframe. In order to expedite the certification tests, which are anticipated to necessitate approximately 800 flights, negotiations are currently ongoing with the customer regarding the construction of an additional third flying prototype “.
The initial series production deliveries of 35 TVRS-44 “Ladoga” aircraft are scheduled for 2028, as per the most recent iteration of Russia’s comprehensive aviation industry development program through 2030.
So what is this aircraft, about which we know so little?
The TVRS-44 “Ladoga” is a twin-engine turboprop passenger aircraft that is currently under development at UZGA. This regional airliner is being developed to replace the obsolete fleet of Soviet-era An-24/26 and Yak-40 aircraft.
According to its developers, the “Ladoga” is a “genuine all-terrain aircraft” that is capable of operating in challenging natural and climatic conditions and extreme temperatures.
According to UZGA, “A regional aircraft must be robust, so the TVRS-44 will be able to take off from asphalt and concrete airfields as well as from unpaved and snow-covered runways. This means that the ‘Ladoga’ will be suitable for use throughout the country.”
The airframe will be made entirely of metal and riveted. The flaps, nose cone, rear section, and other components will be built from composite materials.
The TVRS-44 is capable of carrying up to 5 tons of cargo or 44 passengers in its standard configuration. It will exceed the An-24’s operational range by flying 2,200 km with passengers and 1,200 km with cargo. The flight ceiling is 7,200 meters, and the cruising speed is set at 460–480 km/h.
Additionally, UZGA intends to provide a variety of “Ladoga” variants, such as a mixed-use version that can accommodate 36 passengers and 16 m³ of cargo, a version that can accommodate 20 passengers and 27 m³ of cargo, and medevac and patrol-rescue configurations.
UZGA intends to manufacture 220 aircraft between 2025 and 2035, as stated by Sergey Merenkov, the project’s primary designer. The Ural facility is equipped to produce a maximum of 26 aircraft annually.
In terms of Western equivalents, the TVRS-44 is comparable to the
ATR 42 and De Havilland Canada Dash 8 – Q100 and Q200 series. In Russia, it is in direct comptetion with the IL-114-300 turboprop aircraft.
Official Website of Youtube Channel – Altitude Addicts