Multi-purpose aircraft LMS-901 took off at the end of the first month of this year. The tests took place at the Aramil airfield, located in Yekaterinburg. The flight duration was only 25 minutes, the aircraft was at an altitude of 500 m. According to Valentin Lavrentyev, test pilot of the first class, Baikal showed its best side, all systems functioned normally.
Inside LMS-901. Photo: YouTube.com. LMS-901 was created by the Baikal-Engineering enterprise. The company was financially supported by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which expects that the novelty will become a promising mode of transport on local airlines and will replace the already legendary AN-2, which first rolled off the assembly line more than half a century ago. The light-engine aircraft will contribute to the accessibility of remote regions of the Russian Federation.
Emergency equipment for LMS-901. Photo: YouTube.com.The flight range of Baikal is quite decent for aircraft of this class - 3000 km (if there is a cargo of 2 tons on board, then 1500 km) at a cruising speed of 300 km / h. Any more or less flat dirt strip 250 m long is suitable for take-off.
The basic version of the aircraft is estimated at 120 million rubles.
Presumably, the state order for transport of this type until 2030 can be expressed in the amount of 300 units of equipment. The manufacturer expects: LMS-901 will be certified in the current or next year, in which they plan to start regular flights.
The release of Baikal will “connect” Russia faster than others to the global aspiration to electrify aircraft. According to the head of CNN Business (USA), Mr. Omer Bar-Yohai, the Eviation Alice light aircraft developed by the company will take to the skies for the first time in a few weeks. The test engine has already passed. The novelty is designed for a comfortable flight of 9 passengers or 6 VIPs. There is also a cargo model. But the aircraft is only able to overcome 800 km. It is assumed that deliveries to customers will begin in 2026. But they already exist: for example, DHL Express (a leading American company for the delivery of documents and cargo) wants to buy 12 aircraft.
