On March 30th, 2019, the first flight of the IL-112V took place from the airport belonging to the OJSC “VASO" (Voronezh Aircraft Production Association). The crew was headed by the chief test pilot of "ILYUSHIN" company, the hero of Russia, Nikolai KUIMOV. During the flight, the Il-112V was accompanied by an Il-114LL flying testbed aircraft. The flight went without difficulty, and after the landing, the leaders of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the "OAK" (United Aviation Corporation), "ILYUSHIN" and OJSC “VASO" greeted the crew. Deputy Prime Minister Yuri BORISOV was also present.
Il-112V is the first Russian military transport aircraft designed in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Its role is to replace the technically and morally obsolete An-26s, which are currently still serving in the aerospace forces of the Russian Federation. According to of "ILYUSHIN" press service, Il-112V should outperform the An-26 in all technical aspects. The technical requirements that the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has given to "ILYUSHIN" determine that the Il-112V should be able to carry a load of 5 tons over a distance of 1200 km, starting from unpaved surfaces.
However, even before the first take-off of the Il-112V took place, the chief designer of the "ILYUSHIN" bureau, Nikolai TALIKOV, reported that the aircraft was "overweight". In his words, it is heavier by about 3 tons than it was originally designed. Government and company leaders have already approved comprehensive weight reduction plan that will be achieved by using composite materials and making some design changes that will not affect structural strength. The whole process of implementing these changes should take about one year.