Russian Civil Aviation: News #4

Unique wing takes Russia out of Western pressure

Russia "managed to make a reserve for decades ahead", "now we will work without looking back to the West." With these words, experts assess the first flight of the new Russian airliner MS-21 with a domestically made composite wing. And anti-Russian sanctions helped make such a breakthrough for the Russian aviation industry. How is it?

At the airfield of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant (a branch of the Irkut company) , the first flight of the MS-21-300 civil aircraft with a domestic composite wing took place. As explained in Rostec, everything went as usual. At the helm were test pilots Heroes of Russia Roman Taskaev and Oleg Kononenko.

MS-21-300 / 310 is a new-generation medium-range narrow-body aircraft with a capacity of 163 to 211 passengers ("Trunk aircraft of the XXI century 310"). This is Russia's answer to the European Airbus A320 and the American Boeing 737. It has become the most spacious among narrow-body aircraft in the world - the cabin width is more than four meters, which is comparable to wide-body aircraft in terms of passenger comfort.

The composite wing has become a key feature of the aircraft. Due to the high rigidity and lightness of the material, the flight performance and economic characteristics of the aircraft are increased. The fuselage of the MC-21 is 35% composed of composite materials. Composites based on carbon filaments are also used for the production of tail assemblies (keel, stabilizer).

It was originally planned that the composite wing would be made in Russia from components supplied from abroad. However, the development and production of its own similar materials began in Russia after the United States imposed trade restrictions on AeroComposite in September 2018. Scientists from Moscow State University and specialists from Rosatom joined in to solve the problem. Now the wing and its consoles are produced at the Aerocomposite-Ulyanovsk enterprise using the patented vacuum infusion technology.

In addition, the MC-21 aircraft can be equipped with the latest Russian fifth-generation PD-14 turbofan engines for medium-range airliners (MC-21 prototypes flew with American PW1000G engines). This is the first completely Russian civilian engine since the 1990s, the development of which was carried out by the Perm Aviadvigatel within the framework of the state program for the Development of the Aviation Industry for 2013-2025. Only Russia, the USA, Great Britain and France have the capabilities to produce aircraft engines inside and out. China is still dependent on components from other countries.

In cruise mode, PD-14 consumes up to 15% less fuel than engines of the previous generation, operating costs are 14-17% lower, and the life cycle cost is almost 20% less than that of foreign "classmates".



https://m.vz.ru/society/2021/12/25/1136025.html

Russia has made a breakthrough in small aircraft, by Olga Samofalova for VZGLYAD. 31.01.2022.

The first flight was made by the LMS-901 "Baikal" multi-purpose aircraft, which replaced the legendary An-2 "maize" aircraft developed more than 70 years ago in the USSR. Attempts to find a replacement for the Soviet counterpart were made many times, but it was only possible to do this now. Can the new aircraft become as unique and go down in history as the An-2?

The day before, the light multi-purpose aircraft LMS-901 Baikal made its first flight, which should replace the legendary An-2 corncob. The plane took off from the Yekaterinburg (Aramil) airfield. The flight took place at an altitude of 500 m and lasted about 25 minutes. Test pilot 1st class Valentin Lavrentiev was at the helm.

“Baikal takes into account the existing developments, as well as the wishes of the regions and operators, this project will revive transportation on local airlines, solve problems with ensuring transport accessibility, primarily in the Far East,” said Denis Manturov, head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

“The first flight is an event of extreme importance. This modern aircraft for nine passengers is to replace the An-2 (maize), created more than 70 years ago, in 1947. This is a small aircraft, but its social and economic importance for the country then and now should not be underestimated,” says Roman Gusarov, head of the Avia.ru industry portal.

An-2 is the most massive production aircraft of the Soviet Union. A total of 18 thousand maize plants were produced. No other aircraft even came close to such figures.

The secret of the largest biplane (with two wings on top of each other) with a piston engine is simple, the source points out. Firstly, it is a versatile aircraft, which is adapted to the most severe operating conditions. It can take off and land from any clearing, unprepared airfield, where the surface is uneven, mud, ice, etc. An-2 operates at extremely low temperatures. Secondly, it is a cheap plane. The third important advantage is maintainability. “We can say that this is a “rural tractor”, which does not care about anything, you can even repair it with a hammer. The plane is completely disassembled and reassembled like a big Lego. It seems to have an infinite lifespan. It has not been produced for a long time, but they still continue to fly on it, ”says Roman Gusarov.

For many years, the authorities tried to find a replacement for him, but not a single aircraft project to replace the An-2 was approved. “Either it was just a new reincarnation of the Soviet maize, but with worse characteristics than the analogue. Or Western analogues were offered as replacements, which are not always suitable for working in our climatic conditions, in terms of flight range, and are very expensive, ”says the industry expert.

In his opinion, the Baikal project finally managed to combine the unique characteristics and parameters that the An-2 has with modern certification requirements, and get an inexpensive car as a result.

“The new Baikal aircraft costs 120 million rubles, or about $2 million. It is cheaper than any Western analogue. The Canadian Twin Otter aircraft, which could replace the An-2 in terms of its characteristics, costs four times more - $ 6 million,

Gusarov points out. – Thanks to Baikal, we can find a worthy modern replacement for the old maize plant. The new aircraft has a chance to get a long history too.”

“What is the difference between Baikal and An-2? This is a more modern aircraft that has a glass cockpit, more comfortable seats for passengers, and a warm cabin. The turboprop engine has better parameters than the An-2. Therefore, the flight speed has become more. The speed, flight range and carrying capacity have increased, efficiency has improved, ”Gusarov points out.

The cruising speed of the aircraft is up to 300 km/h. The maximum range is 3 thousand km, and with a payload of two tons - 1.5 thousand km. “This is a completely new car, it is not copied from anything. According to the results of flight tests, it should confirm the possibility of operation from the same flight sites as the An-2. At the same time, "Baikal" will have one and a half times greater cruising speed than the An-2, and twice the carrying capacity. Therefore, we can count on the fact that the new aircraft will become a worthy successor to the famous An-2, ”says Mikhail Dryagilev, Deputy Chief Designer of OSKBES MAI, Izvestia writes.

The only negative, according to Gulyaev, is that a new aircraft is always more expensive than an old one (within the country). Therefore, it will be necessary to encourage airlines to replenish the fleet with modern "corn" with the help of a special financial program from the state. Carriers will buy Baikal if buying a new aircraft on lease (lease) is cheaper than taking a bank loan and buying a used foreign aircraft on the secondary market, the expert believes. The state already has experience in subsidizing the sale of domestic liners.

“I think that the old An-2 will continue to fly where there is no large passenger flow, where you need to fly from time to time, conditionally - once a week. But where regular transportation is needed, the old corn mills are no longer suitable, a modern aircraft is needed, ”says the head of Avia.ru. Baikal is able to occupy this niche. The market volume is estimated at 300 cars by 2030.

Who will be interested in Baikal? First of all - to airlines that are engaged or want to carry passengers on a regular basis in remote parts of the country. For example, the airline "Polar Airlines", which operates regular flights to small towns, including in the Arctic.

“Beyond the Urals, conditional Mercedes and Bentleys are not needed, UAZs and loaves are needed there. Other equipment simply will not survive there. In Yakutia, for example, about a million people live at a gigantic distance, scattered across dozens of villages. But in every more or less large village, where 500-2000 people live, there is an airfield. There are about 40 of them in total. What airfield can be in permafrost conditions? Air communication is necessary to send passengers, or mail, documents, medicines, etc.,” says the interlocutor. Baikal will also be of interest to Kamchatka, Magadan, Sakhalin, etc. Often, such air transportation is subsidized by local authorities for more than half of the ticket price.

The second direction of transportation is the fulfillment of orders of corporate clients in various industries, for example, in the oil and gas sector. This aircraft may be of interest to special services.

The use of a helicopter in such cases is possible, but as a rule it is extremely expensive. And the flight range of Baikal significantly exceeds the capabilities of helicopters.

The engine - the heart of "Baikal" - must be domestic. However, the first flight, most likely, was made on a foreign engine - the General Electric H80-200. But the aircraft should be put into production with the currently developed domestic VK-800 engine. “To create an engine is more expensive and longer than an airplane. But work on the engine is being actively carried out, and by 2024 they should have time to certify an aircraft with a domestic engine, ”Gusarov hopes. At one time, the MS-21 also first took off with a foreign engine, and only then did the domestic development of the PD-14 appear.

A domestic engine is needed not only because of sanctions risks, here the question of price comes to the fore. Foreign engines are much more expensive than domestic counterparts. And it will be impossible to reach the declared cost of Baikal at 120 million rubles with a foreign engine, the price may almost double. “Foreign manufacturers - monopolists of their products, often begin to twist their arms. So it was with the SSJ-100. Parts for it were twice as expensive as similar parts for Boeings and Airbuses. It’s a terrible addiction,” says the expert. Plus, currency risks remain.

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