L-610

Let Kunovice · Czech Republic · first flew 1988 · airliner

The Let L-610 was a Czech 40-seat twin-turboprop regional airliner developed as a larger successor to the successful L-410 Turbolet.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, straight
E — Engines	2 × turboprop, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	40-seat pressurised regional fuselage
T — Tail	T-tail

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

High straight wing, twin turboprops
T-tail on a swept fin
40-seat pressurised regional fuselage

Identify it by the high straight wing with two large turboprop nacelles, the pressurised regional fuselage and a distinctive T-tail atop a swept fin, clearly larger than its L-410 sibling.

Specifications

The L-610 has a length of 21.72 m (71 ft).
It has a wingspan of 25.6 m (84 ft).
Its maximum speed is 450 km/h (280 mph).
Typical crew: 2 plus cabin crew.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Let Kunovice designed the L-610 in the 1980s to serve Aeroflot's regional network, and the first prototype flew on 28 December 1988 with indigenous Walter M-602 engines. The collapse of the Soviet market stranded the programme, and a Western-engined L-610G with General Electric CT7 turboprops was offered to broaden appeal. Certification and sustained production never materialised.

Variants

The initial L-610 and L-610M used the Czech Walter M-602 powerplant, while the L-610G switched to GE CT7 turboprops and Western avionics for the export market. Only a handful of prototypes were completed. The project effectively ended by the late 1990s.

Where you'll see it

The L-610 saw no meaningful airline service and no UK operators, remaining a prototype effort overtaken by political and economic upheaval. It is remembered chiefly as an ambitious scale-up of the widely operated L-410.

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