A replacement for legendary An-2 aircraft will be developed in the network of Russian-Austrian project - Diamond Aircraft, Izvestiya reports.

According to a source, initially An-2 aircraft may have been replaced by either Rysachok airliners developed by Samara-based TsSKB-Progress or Diamond Aircraft (Austria); the latter won the competition. The decision was made on August 25th 2014 at a meeting dedicated to development of advanced regional aircraft seating from 9 to 19 passengers held in the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Presumably, the cost of this project will be 11 billion rubles; 7 billion will be allocated from the budget. In 2014 the research activities will be completed; research and development work will be completed in 2015, certification – in 2017. After that the mass production of the aircraft will be started, a source close to the Ministry of Industry and Trade said.

"Initially TsSKB-Progress submitted its offer on development of Rysachok project. But in the end we decided to go with Diamond. The work carried out by TsSKB-Progress will also be useful and Rysachok may take its place for a transition period. However, it is falling behind the Austrian aircraft in terms of efficiency and economics", — the source explained.

The information about choosing the Diamond Aircraft was confirmed by the First Deputy Chairman of State Duma’s Committee on Industry, Vladimir Gutenev.

"At first a small number of components will be manufactured in Russia, but later production of state-of-the-art engines, powering Diamond aircraft, will be launched in our country. A fair share of components will be produced in Russia", — he added.