Week of February 24, 1997
News This Week About Tupolevs, Amphibians, and Supersonic AirportsRAC Focuses On Tu-204 And Tu-334At a press-briefing last week Tatevos Surinov, President of the Russian Aviation Consortium (RAC), said that in 1996 the consortium was joined by Vnukovo Airlines, Donavia, Aviaexport, Bykovo aircraft repair plant and Gorbunov's aircraft production organisation of Kazan (KAPO). Established by President Yeltsin's decree on 18 May 1995, RAC initially consisted of the Tupolev design bureau, Aviastar production plant of Ulyanovsk, Aviadvigatel of Perm, Perm Motors, Universal scientific-industrial centre, Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines and Promstroibank. Last year, however, Aeroflot decided to leave the consortium, and its place was taken almost immediately by Vnukovo.The consortium now concentrates on two civil projects, the 212-seat Tu-204 and the 100-seat Tu-334. Regarding the first type, Surinov said that RAC has two big outlets, the first in the form of Egypt's Kato Aromatic group with its orders for 30 RB.211-powered Tu-204-120s, and second in an order from China for 58 PS-90-powered Tu-204s. Surinov said the final text of the Chinese contract would be signed in March. As for the Tu-334, Surinov stated that 14 Russian operators expressed willingness to take as much as 160 airframes. Such a large number of "soft" orders is explained by the necessity to replace the veteran Tu-134 whose production ceased in 1984. According to Tupolev, all Tu-134s should be written off by 2005 due to expiring lifetimes. In the basic version the Tu-334 will transport 100 passengers 3,000 km, whereas the Tu-134B-3, the latest version, carries 96 passengers over 2,100 km. According to statistics, a typical mission for the Tu-134 in Russia are flights of 1,200-1,800 km with 6-6.5 t of commercial load. According to Oleg Alasheev, Deputy General Designer at Tupolev for civil programs, the design bureau is studying ways to increase the lifetime of the Tu-134, realizing that if found, those will be just a temporary measure to bridge the gap between now and the time the Tu-334 becomes available in sufficient numbers. Alasheev says he personally does not see a reason to prolong the active life of the Tu-134A, which entered service back in 1967. Even not fussy Russian passengers are not happy with poor comfort and "loud" Soloviev D-30P engines unable to meet ICAO Chapter 3 requirements on noise. However, the moderate passenger capacity, ranging from 67 for the Tu-134A to 90 on the Tu-134B, makes the aircraft fit very well into typical volumes of air traffic between provincial Russian cities. That is why the Tu-134 flies more frequently than its "bigger brother," the 160-seat Tu-154. The list-price for the Tu-334 in standard configuration is US $14-15 million. Its mass production will be conducted at the factory in Kiev, the Ukraine, and in Taganrog, Russia. Aleksandr Kharlov, the General Director of Kiev factory, says the Tu-334 development prototype needs 3-4 months to be prepared for the first flight, with appropriate expenses amounting to RR 15 billion. At first the Tu-334 will be powered by two Motor SICh D-436s of 7,500 kgf each. Then it is proposed to fit the plane with propfan engines now under development. According to Alasheev, the Tu-334 development prototype "is anxious to kiss the skies." If the Ministry for Defence Branches of Industry (Minoboronprom) provides adequate financing for the program, the flight may occur this spring, Alasheev states.
MChS Orders Seven Be-200sOn 15 January the Ministry for Emergencies (MChS) and ZAO Betair signed a contract on delivery of seven Beriev Be-200 amphibian aircraft, starting from 1998. The airplanes will be employed in fire-fighting and search-and-rescue (SAR) roles. According to the contract, MChS will pay upon the delivery of the first airframe, which means that Irkutsk Aircraft Production Organisation (IAPO), the manufacturer of the aircraft, and the Beriev design bureau, its developer, will have to finance the certification process from their own resources.ZAO Betair was established several years ago by IAPO, Beriev and ILTA Trade of Geneva to market the Be-200. Except for fire-fighting and search-and-rescue versions, the plane will be available in cargo (normal load 8 t; maximum 12 t) and passenger (60 seats) variants. By design, the Be-200 is a scaled-down derivative of the A-40 Albatross created by Beriev earlier as a search-and-rescue and maritime patrol aircraft for the Russian Navy. Despite being smaller than its predecessor, the Be-200 can operate from the open sea with 1.2-m waves. Sergei Shoigu, the MChS head, made the decision to acquire the Be-200 during the Gelendjik'96 airshow in October. The manufacturer states that a Be-200 can drop 320 t of water on a wood fire 10 km off a lake without refuelling. On a "scooping" run the plane can fill its tanks with 8 t of water in 12 seconds. Special on-board equipment and a satellite-based navigation system automatically determine the coordinates, time and amount of water to be dropped on the blaze. To increase the effect, a foam-making substance may be carried in the cargo cabin. Priced at US $20 million, the 42-t Be-200 is powered by two Motor-Sich D-436TP engines of 75 kN each. They enable the plane with the crew of two pilots to develop a cruise speed of 720 km/h. At a customer's request the aircraft may be fitted with BMW/Rolls Royce BR.715s. The ARIA-200 on-board avionics set is developed by GosNIIAS institute in co-operation with AlliedSignal. It enables the Be-200 to perform safe landings on water and work as an element in a formation of fire-fighting bombers. Victor Kobzev, General Director at ZAO Betair, states that Brazil and some Pacific Rim countries have expressed interest in the Be-200, but are holding orders until the aircraft gets its certificate of type. The Be-200 is regarded as one of most promising Russian civil aircraft projects. Moscow banks, usually reluctant to provide credit for the indigenous aviation industry, support this program. Some two years ago ONEXIMbank granted a US $70 million credit for IAPO during construction of the Su-30K and Be-200 development prototypes. The latter is nearing completion, and will fly later this year.
Engels Air Base To Turn Into Airport?In late January Russian Premier Victor Chernomyrdin ordered the construction of an international airport near the city of Engels. According to Colonel General Mikhail Klishin, first deputy chief of Russian General HQ, the new airport might be constructed in the territory of the Engels air base. The base currently hosts the 22th division of the Long Range Aviation flying Tu-160 strategic missile-carriers. Klishin says that using the existing runways built to withstand heavy bombers eliminates the necessity of strengthening the runways of nearby Saratov airport. Moreover, the base is located away from residential areas of Engles and Saratov, reducing the risk of hitting dwellings in case of engine failures at take-off and landing. Earlier this year the Defence Ministry had agreed to share the runways with civil operators. This move seems strange because Engels is the only base used by the supersonic Tu-160, the world's heaviest and most powerful combat aircraft. The Russian Air Force has only six such aircraft in service. According to Russian TV a seventh Tu-160 may be completed soon at Gorbunov's Kazan Aircraft Production Organisation (KAPO). Meanwhile, the long and fruitless talks continue between Russia and the Ukraine on the transfer to Russia of 19 Tu-160s standing idle at Priluki air base as a means of paying off Ukrainian state debts for Russian oil and natural gas. | |
