Military eyes potential uses for Baikal
LMS-901 Baikal light multipurpose aircraft. (Baikal Engineering)
The successor to the An-2 light multipurpose aircraft could find favour with the Russian MoD when it is equipped with an indigenous engine.
Flight tests of the LMS-901 Baikal light multipurpose aircraft are scheduled to begin in Russia before the end of 2021, after a prototype was seen for the first time during the MAKS-2021 aviation show near Moscow.
Deliveries to customers are scheduled to begin in 2023.
Baikal will replace the outdated but still widely used Antonov An-2, which first appeared in 1947 and remains in Russian military use. However, the main role for Baikal will be to improve accessibility in remote Russian regions with missions such as cargo transport, search and rescue and pilot training.
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