The engine was launched in 1985 by the Ivchenko-Progress Design Bureau for commercial and military transport aircraft.

[7] It was designed to meet the expected growth in demand for new aero engines for civil and military applications.

At the time, the D-27 had a 3.8-metre diameter (12-foot-6-inch) fan, produced 13,000 hp (9,700 kW) at takeoff resulting in a thrust of 11,200 kilograms-force (24,700 pounds-force; 110 kilonewtons),[9] and had a thrust specific fuel consumption (SFC) of 13 g/(kN⋅s) (0.47 lb/(lbf⋅h)) at a cruise speed of 850 km/h (530 mph).

[14] However, the prototype suffered a crash during its fourth flight in February 1995, destroying the aircraft and leaving no survivors.

The SV-27 contra-rotating propfan, provided by SPE Aerosila, is driven by a four-stage turbine via a shaft connected to a planetary reduction gear which incorporates a thrust meter.

[19] A further noise-related change in propeller spacing was made in 2010–2012, resulting in a 50-percent increase in separation from 0.60 to 0.90 metres (2.0 to 3.0 ft; 600 to 900 mm; 24 to 35 in).

[22] On September 3, 2019, the Russian navy decided to order Beriev A-42 amphibious aircraft, the development of which had been suspended in 1993.