Desperate Putin forced to call up planes dating from 1940s in humiliating move | World | News
Vladimir Putin is forced to call up 1940s-era biplanes amid Russia’s aviation crisis. Hundreds of turboprop An-2 aircraft in private warehouses are being prepared to be made ready for flight again.
The desperate push to revive the “World War II-era aircraft” that first flew in 1947 follows planes grounded by Western sanctions on spare parts and servicing linked to Putin’s debilitating war against Ukraine. It also comes after the ill-fated Baikal, Russia’s long-delayed An-2 replacement, was again hampered by redesign and engine problems, with certification now at risk of shifting to 2027 or later. Kremlin official Yuri Trutnev stated that Baikal’s development “has reached a dead end.”
The state-controlled Chaplygin Siberian Scientific Research Institute, the An-2’s developer, “has proposed restoring the airworthiness of approximately 700 aircraft currently in private storage,” Kommersant newspaper reported.
“Renewing, restoring and modernizing the remaining aircraft in Russia could solve the capacity shortage on local routes in the next five to seven years.”
This may include acquiring modern Western engines that may be subject to sanctions, such as the Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67B or Honeywell TPE331-12.
But the Russian TVD-10B can also be used to bring the “dormant fleet” back to life.
Such durable aircraft are vital for reaching remote communities across Russia, including the wild regions of Siberia.
Biplanes started flying five years before 73-year-old Putin was born.
In fact, a total of 249 An-2 aircraft remain in operation across 62 operators, mostly on short-haul flights in remote areas.
The plan was ridiculed by Ukraine.
“Russia Goes Back to World War II-Era Planes After Failing to Build a New Plane,” one headline read.
It is often stated that the An-2 had the longest production run of any aircraft in history (more than 50 years).
It was the largest and most produced single-engine biplane used for passenger transportation, cargo, military uses, and agriculture.
