Maksim covers aerospace developments in Central Asia for Aviation Week. He has worked for Russia's Air Transport Observer magazine and was in charge of several ATO sister aerospace publications after working for the Moscow-based CAST defense think tank.
Maksim has a degree in international relations from MGIMO University, Moscow.
MOSCOW — Ukrainian aircraft maker Antonov has resumed flight trials of its An-70 medium military transport aircraft. The first three test flights were performed Sept. 27-30 near Kiev and involved the only existing prototype (tail number UR-NTK) with improved powerplants and avionics.
FIRST FLIGHT: The first modernized Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A military heavy lifter, also known as Il-476, made its 40-min. first flight at Ulyanovsk on Sept. 22. The prototype, bearing the tail number RA-78650, was rolled out on July 5 and has already performed ground tests. According to industry sources, after several flights in Ulyanovsk the aircraft will be flown to Zhukovsky, near Moscow, to continue flight trials. It is the first aircraft of this type assembled in Russia, as all earlier Il-76 modifications have been manufactured in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
MOSCOW — Irkut Corporation has begun flight tests of the twin-seat Sukhoi Su-30SM multirole fighter. The first aircraft made its 2-hr. first flight on Sept. 21; the second fighter joined the flight tests on Sept. 25, says Irkut, a subsidiary of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation.
