OREANDA-NEWS  The Baikal light multipurpose aircraft is not a replacement for the An-2, known as the Corncob, it is a new machine for modern requirements, Anton Alikhanov, head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, told RIA Novosti in an interview.

"Firstly, the Baikal is not a replacement for the Corncob, and secondly, it is a machine that has already been made to meet the new modern requirements of both safety and airlines. At the stage of the technical assignment, all future operators were involved, and they actually formed the requirements for the machine," the minister said.

The first tests of the Baikal aircraft with a Russian VK-800 engine and a domestic AV-901 propeller were successful at the end of December 2025. The Baikal nine-seat aircraft is being built for local air lines. The certificate for the VK-800 engine and the AV-901 propeller for the car are expected in December 2026.