Ural Works of Civil Aviation (UWCA) will manufacture about 200 single-engine Diamond DA-40 trainer aircraft by 2017, Business-TASS reports with reference to the enterprise.
The first batch of 49 Diamond DA-40 aircraft assembled by UWCA was presented in Yekateriburg on November 11th 2013. These vehicles will be delivered to the Russia’s largest flight schools – St. Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation and Ulyanovsk Civil Aviation Academy. They will take delivery of 65 aircraft of the type in 2014, 60 ones – in 2015 and 70 ones – in 2016.
The minister of industry and trade, Denis Manturov, noted that these aircraft are vital for training of civil aviation pilots and the vehicles are much more advanced as compared to the currently operated fleet of trainer aircraft. He also said that these liners are on the same technical level as the vehicles currently operated by the carriers. “This project also has significant social-and-economic effect: in cooperation with Diamond Aircraft Industries we plan to increase the local content in the area of production of these aircraft soon”, - the minister noted.
According to him, UWCA will eventually launch the complete full-cycle production of light composite airframe aircraft and diesel engines developed by the Austrian company.
Manturov explained that on the first stage of the project the full-cycle production of DA-40 trainers will be launched by UWCA. In 2014 the assembly of production line intended for manufacturing composite components, airframes and glass cockpits will be started. According to him, the production of AP-300 engines will be launched in parallel. “The share of Russian-produced components will reach 50% by 2015 and in 2016 the production will be full-cycle. At that the number of UWCA’s employees involved in the project will increase from 100 to 500 ones. As a result we will meet the demand for training aircraft in Russia, and in the second stage we will start assembling twin-engine Diamond DA-42 Twin Star and other advanced aircraft”, - Manturov said.
He also noted that these aircraft have a wide area of application: from aerial photography and forest protection to air taxi.
Diamond DA-40 aircraft performed its maiden flight in Ulyanovsk on November 11th 2013.
