Russian Civil Aviation: News #5

Putin rebuked the head of the Ministry of Transport for the purchase of foreign aircraft in the past, by Vera Basilaya for VZGLYAD. 07.20.2023.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reproached Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev for the fact that many planes were bought in the West earlier, noting that he was counting on an increase in the production of domestic civil aircraft.

“You spoke about the reasons for the increase in tariffs, the increase in the cost of tickets, including those related to logistics, the delivery of necessary spare parts, and so on. And remember, when you were still the head of Aeroflot, I persuaded you to order as many domestic ships as possible, we even, conditionally, cursed about this - you told me that Western partners are reliable, everything is so good, and they are good ", - the president addressed the head of the Ministry of Transport Savelyev, who worked as the general director of Aeroflot in 2009-2020, TASS reports.

“But now, of course, our aircraft manufacturers cannot expand their production capabilities overnight, it will take some time, even though the order has appeared and increased. This is also a factor that is associated with an increase in tariffs,” the head of state said.

Putin also said that he very much hopes that, in contact with colleagues from the manufacturing industry, the transportation needs will be met.

Earlier, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, during a working trip to the Kazan Aviation Plant named after S. P. Gorbunov (a branch of Tupolev PJSC), said that a decision had been made to allocate 41.8 billion rubles from the National Welfare Fund to expand the production of the Tu-214 aircraft.

https://vz.ru/news/2023/7/19/1221920.html

Irkutsk Aviation Plant (IAP) told about the course of "Russification" of the MS-21 aircraft, 07.22.2023.

IAP is upgrading the MS-21-310 aircraft with tail number 73055 under the import substitution program. At IAZ, the car will be significantly updated: instead of foreign equipment, domestic equipment will be installed.

On June 7, this experimental aircraft flew from Zhukovsky to Irkutsk. The employees of the flight test unit carried out the acceptance of the aircraft, dismantled the emergency equipment, and carried out the preservation of the engines. Then the liner was transferred to workshop 277, where the aircraft systems will be finalized and tested.

A large amount of work is planned to be carried out on the onboard cable network, which will be replaced in the same way as it was previously done on aircraft 73051. In addition, it is necessary to finalize aircraft systems, hatches and doors, replace flight navigation, radio communications and lighting equipment. The PD-14 engines were dismantled and sent to JSC Aviadvigatel for a set of improvements. A large-scale update awaits the aircraft power supply system and software and mathematical software. The auxiliary power unit and integrated on-board equipment rack will be replaced.

To mount new equipment on the aircraft, you will need to change some elements of the frame. Specialists of the IAP and the engineering center will have to replace sensors, valves, brackets, as well as replace door openings. Over 150 documents describe the work to be done.

One of the significant changes is a new compartment of the APU, for the manufacture of which it was necessary to carry out an almost complete set of work on the preparation of production and the manufacture of parts. Another time-consuming refinement is the dismantling of the hatch and the emergency escape shaft. Employees of shops 249, 246 and 255 will have to replace the floor frame and install a new cargo door.

The specialists of the engineering center are completing the release of design documentation, and the employees of the technical bureau of the civil aviation assembly production (ASP for GAT) are preparing the finalized technological documentation. Arising issues are promptly resolved with specialists from the leading technological and design departments, the design bureau of the engineering center in Irkutsk.

https://aviation21.ru/na-iaz-rasskazali-o-xode-rusifikacii-samolyota-ms-21/

“Combination of unpretentiousness and comfort”: the newest light aircraft “Baikal” is expected to undergo large-scale tests, by Alexey Zakvasin, Elizaveta Komarova for RT Russia. 07.26.2023.

In August, a large-scale test program for the newest light multi-purpose aircraft LMS-901 Baikal will start. This was reported to RT in the press service of the Ural Civil Aviation Plant. Based on the test results, a package of documents for certification will be issued, which will allow the aircraft to be admitted to commercial flights. The start of mass production of the machine is scheduled for 2024. Baikal is to replace the aging An-2 fleet. LMS-901 has already been ordered by local airlines, Aerokhimflot, Rosleskhoz and the National Air Ambulance Service. According to experts, the Baikal project is of great importance for the transport provision of hard-to-reach territories of the Russian Federation.

In August, a large-scale test program for the newest light multi-purpose aircraft LMS-901 Baikal will start. This was reported to RT in the press service of the Ural Civil Aviation Plant (UZGA).

“A very large test program is planned for August-October, as a result of which we will draw up a package of documents for submission to certification authorities. Based on these materials, we expect to receive a type certificate, which will mean the admission of Baikal to commercial flights, ”the UZGA said.

Earlier, during flight tests, the aircraft was tested for stability and controllability. “The most important initially declared parameters were also confirmed, for example, in terms of flight speed or the ability to take off from unpaved strips,” the press service of the Yekaterinburg enterprise added.

LMS-901 was created by a team of engineers led by the chief designer of the Baikal Engineering company Vadim Demin  to replace the An-2. The debut flight of the aircraft took place in January 2022. Then the experimental machine took to the air thanks to the American General Electric H80-100 engine, however, serial samples will already be equipped with domestic VK-800SM.

In the passenger version, the LMS-901 is designed for nine seats, in the cargo version it can carry 2 tons of payload. The cruising speed of the aircraft can reach 300 km/h, the maximum flight range is 3 thousand km (with a payload of 2 tons - 1.5 thousand km). According to the developers, Baikal will become an unpretentious universal aircraft capable of performing a wide range of tasks in different climatic conditions.

“We are making an aircraft that is not afraid of either very high or very low temperatures, which can fly to high-altitude airfields and use unpaved runways. In addition, the Baikal should become a universal aircraft, a jack-of-all-trades, which can not only carry passengers and cargo, but also perform various aviation work, ”the UZGA press service told RT.

From the Krasnodar Territory to Chukotka
 
Recall that on July 10, at the plenary session of the Innoprom exhibition, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that the LMS-901 should be certified in December this year, and then the trial operation of the aircraft will begin.

“In December, the Baikal aircraft, which is replacing the obsolete An-2, should receive a certificate. After that, it will be possible to start its trial operation. In the future, a Russian engine will be installed on it. Such work is also underway,” Mishustin said.

Upon completion of certification, serial production of Baikal will be launched at the UZGA site in Yekaterinburg and at the Advanced Development Territory (TOR) Komsomolsk in the Khabarovsk Territory. In 2024, new workshops will be launched in both locations. The first deliveries to customers are scheduled for 2025.

“The first ten cars (LMS-901. - RT ) will be operated by our region. And the agreement with the (United. - RT ) Far Eastern airline provides for the use in the Far East of 105 such aircraft produced in our region, ”said Mikhail Degtyarev, Governor of the Khabarovsk Territory, in April.

Also in the coming years, Baikal should replenish the fleet of other air carriers, such as Aurora (Sakhalin), Vityaz-Aero (Kamchatka), Aeroservice (Transbaikalia). UZGA is preparing to fulfill a large order for Aerokhimflot - from 2026 to 2030, this company expects to receive 120 LMS-901.

"Alliance (“Aerokhimflot.” - RT ) is engaged in the implementation of aviation work throughout the country - from the Krasnodar Territory to Chukotka. This requires a replacement for the already obsolete An-2 aircraft, which have a high consumption of expensive aviation gasoline. We are considering Baikal as an alternative to LMS-901,” Aerochemflot said earlier.

There is also a great need for LMS-901 from the Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz). The need for new aircraft to replace the An-2 is estimated at 124 aircraft by 2030. According to representatives of Rosleskhoz, "Baikal" meets all the requirements for forest aviation work.

Another operator of the LMS-901 will be the National Air Ambulance Service (NSSA), which will use the Baikals to provide medical assistance to residents of hard-to-reach settlements. In this regard, the organization plans to acquire a fleet of 27 aircraft.

"Aircraft will have the ability to convert the passenger compartment into an option for performing aviation work to provide emergency medical care. In the future, it is planned to carry out refinement in order to install a medical module," the UZGA Telegram channel reported earlier.

As RT was told at the enterprise, several modifications of Baikal will be created to meet customer demand.

“In 2025, we will deliver the first aircraft. Passengers will soon be able to appreciate the convenience and comfort of this aircraft in reality. Therefore, we will first have to create, and then, of course, test a number of special versions, including those for air ambulance, aviation chemical work or aviation forest protection, ”the UZGA said.

The company emphasized that the LMS-901 will be in demand on local airlines. The passenger version will be comfortable, with comfortable and spacious seats, noise and vibration reduction. In turn, the flight crew "will be able to appreciate the advanced instrumentation, ergonomic cockpit and ease of piloting," UZGA added.

“Waiting in the regions of Russia”

According to experts interviewed by RT, it is extremely important that Baikal will soon receive a domestic engine. Flight tests of the engine should start  in the first quarter of next year. They will be held at the Chaplygin Siberian Research Institute (SibNIA, Novosibirsk). First, the engine will be tested on the Yak-40 flying laboratory, and then installed on the Baikal. It is expected that the LMS-901 with a Russian power unit will take off in the third quarter of 2024.

The advantage of the VK-800SM will be a significant operational resource. According to UZGA calculations, after release and before the scheduled overhaul, the engine will be able to withstand 1 thousand flight hours. Further, without failures and damage, the engine should work for 2 thousand hours, but in the future this period (assigned resource) will be increased to 4.5 thousand hours.

VK-800SM will be assembled in Yekaterinburg. Almost all the elements necessary for its serial production will be manufactured by UZGA itself or supplied by Russian enterprises.

“Products that we ourselves cannot produce yet will be purchased from external contractors. In particular, these are parts manufactured by heat-resistant casting. This cooperation has already been established, but in the future we plan to build our own foundry,” Sergey Vakushin, General Designer of the UZGA Engines Division, told reporters in April.

In a RT commentary, the executive director of the AviaPort industry agency, Oleg Panteleev, noted that the planned mass delivery of the LMS-901 with the VK-800SM engine would radically upgrade domestic small aircraft. The expert emphasized that the transport security of the vast territories of Siberia and the Far East depends heavily on the quality of the work of local airlines. 

“The main feature of Baikal is that, aiming at the market niche of the An-2 aircraft, it was created taking into account all modern and future requirements that relate to environmental friendliness, efficiency and flight safety. The developer took into account all the key wishes of future operators,” said Panteleev.

According to the expert, the Baikal is much more convenient than the An-2 for transporting passengers, cargo and performing other tasks. In addition, the aircraft is equipped with modern on-board equipment that facilitates piloting and navigation.

“Many operations are automated, situational awareness is increased, all information is delivered in a relevant way using multifunctional displays. In general, flying on such a machine will be less tiring, more comfortable, and thanks to the high cruising speed, Baikal will be able to make more flights per daylight hours, ”said Panteleev.

A similar point of view in an interview with RT was voiced by the editor-in-chief of the Avia.ru portal Roman Gusarov. According to the expert, the aircraft is well adapted to perform tasks in the conditions of Siberia and the Far East.

"Baikal" is a combination of unpretentiousness and comfort, and high enough for an aircraft of this class. LMS-901 can land on unpaved airfields and small runways, endure low temperatures. At the same time, it will be inexpensive in terms of cost. Such an aircraft is very much expected in the regions of Russia, ”summed up Gusarov.

https://russian.rt.com/russia/article/1179518-baikal-lms-uzga-ispytaniya

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From a shared past to a new future

"Rostec presented at the Army-2023 forum a new SM-100 aircraft engine developed by UDC's Salyut production complex.

The engine is a development of the basic AI-222-25 engine developed by Ukraine's A.G. Ivchenko Progress Design Bureau in the mid-noughties.

The Russian SM-100 provides 20% more thrust than its Ukrainian progenitor, and the engine life has been doubled. This was done by increasing the compression ratio, modernizing the combustion chamber and turbine units, and installing a modern three-stage low-pressure compressor.

It will replace the AI-222-25 installed on the Yak-130 combat trainer aircraft of the Russian Air Force. And Salyut believes that the new engine can be considered as the main engine for light regional and administrative airplanes.

The head of the UAC spoke about the plans for the production of SSJ 100 in India, by Alexey Degtyarev for VZGLYAD. 08.15.2023.

The head of UAC Slyusar announced the possible production of SSJ 100 in India.

The Indian plant HAL may open production of Russian aircraft SSJ 100, said the head of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Yuri Slyusar.

The HAL plant now produces Su-30 aircraft, more than 270 aircraft have already been produced there, the enterprise has trained personnel, equipment and well-established processes, Slyusar said on the air of Rossiya 24 , TASS reports . The production of the SSJ 100 can be deployed there in a "fairly short time frame," the head of the UAC added.

According to Slusar, relevant negotiations with the Indian side are underway, this will be a "serious technological leap forward" for India.

In February, the head of the UAC reported that the corporation was discussing with India the localization of the production of the SSJ 100. He also named the timing of the first flight of the fully imported SSJ 100 airliner.

https://vz.ru/news/2023/8/15/1225877.html