Russia's 1st post-Soviet era military transport aircraft completes maiden flight

MOSCOW, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Russia's light military transport plane Ilyushin Il-112V successfully completed its maiden flight on Saturday, the aircraft's designer Ilyushin Aviation Complex said.

The plane took off from a runway at a test range in Voronezh, western Russia. During the 45-minute test flight, all systems of the plane were tested, and it conducted jogs on the airfield as well as partial detachment from the ground, according to a company statement.

Based on the performance, the aircraft was ready for more tests, the statement said.

The Il-112V plane is the first military transport aircraft that was designed by Russia from the scratch during the post-Soviet era, said General Director of Ilyushin Aviation Complex Alexey Rogozin.

It was manufactured using advanced digital technology and equipped with cutting-edge on-board systems, which are entirely domestically-produced, the company said.

The new plane is designed for transporting weapons, military equipment, cargo and personnel with a maximum capacity of 5 tons, according to the statement.