A seven-member team in Blagoveshchensk has nearly completed construction of the Gorynych, a light twin-engine aircraft intended to service hard-to-reach areas of the Russian Far East. Built using private funds, the custom cargo aircraft is designed as a potential replacement for aging Antonov An-2 biplanes and utility helicopters operating across remote regional routes, state news agency TASS reported.
Blagoveshchensk, the administrative center of Amur Oblast situated along the Amur River on the border with China, serves as a key transport hub into vast regional wilderness areas. For decades, isolated settlements across the Russian Far East have relied heavily on the Antonov An-2, a single-engine Soviet biplane nicknamed the Kukuruznik, or cornfield cropduster, which first flew in 1947.
Entrepreneur and aviation enthusiast Dmitry Line initiated the project in October 2024 alongside design engineer Oleg Zakharchuk, who relocated from Moscow to Blagoveshchensk specifically to work on the aircraft. Before starting construction, the developers consulted with aviation specialists and ordered several components directly from manufacturing plants. Assembly initially took place in a standard garage, but as the aircraft grew, space ran out, prompting the team to move the airframe to a warehouse at Line's enterprise.
The next phase of the project will involve transporting the airframe to a private airfield, where technicians will fit its wings and propellers. Construction is scheduled for completion in September 2026, after which a specialized technical commission will inspect the aircraft. If the commission issues a favorable verdict, ground and flight testing will begin at a private airfield near Blagoveshchensk, with a test pilot already selected for the maiden flight.
Private funding and technical specifications
Line is fully funding the development himself. Although he declined to provide an exact total expenditure, he stated that producing the single prototype cost less than 20 million rubles. Designing and building the machine will require at least 20,000 man-hours, as many individual components had to be refined and remade multiple times during assembly.
Designed as a relatively inexpensive transport for carrying people, equipment, and freight to isolated destinations, the Gorynych weighs approximately 1,250 kg empty and has a maximum takeoff weight of 2.5 tonnes. The aircraft achieves a maximum payload of 1,250 kg, a figure that includes the flight crew, onboard fuel, and cargo.
The aircraft has a calculated cruising speed of 180 to 190 km/h and a maximum speed of roughly 220 to 230 km/h. On standard fuel tanks, its flight range is expected to reach 1,200 to 1,400 km with an endurance of approximately 7.5 hours. Developers are also considering installing an optional 1,000-liter auxiliary fuel tank, which could theoretically extend flight endurance up to 24 hours. If verified during real flight tests, the team plans to submit an application to record the achievement in the Russian Book of Records.
Engine layout and safety features
An unusual feature of the Gorynych is its twin-engine layout, with both engines mounted as close as possible to the central longitudinal axis of the aircraft. According to the development team, this configuration reduces yawing moment if one engine fails, simplifying aircraft control during an emergency. This safety feature is particularly critical when flying over the Siberian taiga, the dense coniferous forest spanning the region where finding a suitable location for an emergency landing is extremely difficult.
The creators believe the twin-engine Gorynych can provide a more economical alternative to helicopters on certain routes due to lower fuel consumption. However, serial commercial production is not currently under consideration. Achieving full commercial operation would require type certification, which the creators estimate would cost more than 1 billion rubles. For the initial phase, the team will focus exclusively on testing and demonstration flights across various airfields and landing sites.
