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The aircraft was designed in Poland in response to a Soviet requirement for a new agricultural plane to use on great areas of the Soviet collective farms ( kolkhoz and sovkhoz), more modern and efficient than the Antonov An-2SKh and An-2R. Poland had already produced the agricultural Antonow An-2R under licence for export back to the USSR, and agricultural planes became a Polish specialization in the Comecon. The Soviet side insisted on using a jet engine in a new plane, and also participated in the design process.
In order to research new problems connected with using the jet engine on a slow agricultural biplane, first an experimental plane Lala-1 was built in Poland and flown on February 10, 1972. The name was an abbreviation of: the Flying Laboratory. It used the whole front part of an An-2, with wings, while the rear part was cut off and replaced with a frame construction, housing jet engine. The Lala-1 was equipped with agricultural devices. Its tests helped to design the M-15.
The first variant of the M-15 was flown on May 30, 1973This is a list of aviation-related events from 1973: Events Icelandair established. January January 12 A US Navy F-4 Phantom scores the 197th and final US air-to-air victory of the Vietnam War January 15 final B-52 Stratofortress mission of the Vietnam Wa, and the second prototype on January 9January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 356 days remaining (357 in leap years). Events upto 19th century 1760 Afghans defeat Marathas in Battle of Barari Ghat. 1768 Philip Astley stages the first modern circus ( London)., 1974This is a list of aviation-related events from 1974: Events July July 22 the US Navy and Marine Corps evacuate 500 people from Cyprus, away from the conflict erupting between Greece and Turkey on the island September September 1 a SR-71 Blackbird crosses. During the next few years it was intensively tested, along with a pre-production series. The M-15 was shown at the Paris Air ShowThe Paris Air Show Salon International de l'Aeronautique et de l'Espace, Paris-Le Bourget is an international trade fair for the aerospace business. It is held at Le Bourget airport near Paris, France every odd year, alternating with the Farnborough Inter in 19761976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). Events January January 12 UN Security Council votes 11-1 to admit the Palestinian Liberation Organization January 15 Would-be Gerald Ford presidential assassin Sara Jane Moore is s, where it was nicknamed the " BelphegorIn demonology, Belphegor (or Beelphegor is a demon who helps people to make discoveries. He seduces people by suggesting them ingenious inventions that will make them rich. According to some demonologists from the 16th century his power is stronger in Apr" due to its strange look.
Serial production started in 1976This is a list of aviation-related events from 1976: Events March March 17 a Japan Air Lines Boeing 747 makes the first non-stop flight from Tokyo to New York, taking 11. 5 hours for the 10,139 km (6,300 mile) journey. April April 5 Howard Hughes dies abo. Soviet agriculture planned to order as many as 3,000 aircraft, but the first experiences of M-15 service were disappointing. The jet agricultural plane was not economical, and the production ceased in 1981This is a list of aviation-related events from 1981: Events January January 3 Pan Am makes its final Boeing 707 flight. January 7 a Boeing 747 of CAAC lands at JFK International Airport, marking the first time since 1949 that a flight from mainland China after building 120 aircraft. It was used in the USSR only.