New Soviet transport design: Il-212

It has been quiet around the Soviet Ilyushin Il-112V design, since the crash of the first prototype on 13 August 2021. Scramble reported on the crash of this RF-41400 (serial number 01-01, tail number #01 Yellow) on 17 August 2021. The second prototype has remained grounded since that crash. The twin engine turboprop was designed to replace current An-26 and An-72 transport types.

According to a reports in Russian state media Pravda, there was a decision made to resume the works on the Il-112V military transport aircraft, the revived project got a new name Il-212. The key difference is that now the aircraft will have PD-8 turbofan engines instead of the TV7-117ST turboprops. The crash of RF-41400 occurred after an engine fire in the starboard TV7 engine.

The new Il-212 will only retain the predecessor's body airframe, flight instruments, and avionics while the fuselage, wings, fuel system and hydraulic system will be altered significantly due to the integration of the jet engine. One of the main changes will be that the PD-8 jet engines of the Il-212 will be installed above the wing, as on the An-72, to ensure the operation of the new aircraft from unprepared strips and unpaved airfields – the highly raised air intakes of the engines practically exclude the chance of various debris and objects being sucked into them from the ground.