UWCA receives preorders for 30 L-410 turboprops

The first Russian-made L-410s will be assembled in 2017 (Photo by Aircraft Industries)

Ural Works of Civil Aviation (UWCA) has received preliminary orders for 30 L-410 aircraft with deliveries by 2020, Interfax newswire cites UWCA’s financial director Sergey Fyodorov. A firm agreement for four aircraft has already been signed, Fyodorov said, declining to disclose the customer and delivery terms.

The latest modification of the 19-seat regional turboprop, the L-410UVP-E20, is currently produced by Czech OEM Aircraft Industries, 100% of which is owned by the Russian Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company (UMMC). Last year the parties agreed on assembly production of the aircraft at Yekaterinburg-based UWCA.

The UWCA has recently launched construction of a dedicated facility, the first phase of which should be completed and become operational by mid-2017. The plan calls for production of the first six aircraft in the same year. The assembly line is expected to reach its annual rated capacity of 12 aircraft by 2019. By that time the OEM plans to introduce a L-410 modification with float-type gear. The assembly line may in the future be upgraded to produce up to 20 aircraft per year.

According to the plan, more than 50% of the aircraft’s components will be produced in Russia. The works are already underway for partial replacement of avionics and float design.

Sverdlovsk region’s Ministry for Industry believes that the project has a “high market potential,” as similar-sized aircraft are not produced in Russia, and hopes that L-410UVP-E20 will replace US- and Ukrainian-made aircraft on the Russian market. UWCA counts on bringing its share in this market segment to 30%.

The total amount of investment is estimated at 1.43 billion rubles, out of which UWCA will contribute 200 million rubles.

L-410 assembly is a part of a larger project, which includes the UWCA’s becoming a resident of the Titanium Valley special economic zone, as well as its producing Bell and Airbus Helicopters rotorcraft models.