NEW GENERATION OF DOMESTIC MILITARY TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT
According to European experts, only the USA and Ukraine can produce a full line of military transport aircraft of all weight categories (light, medium, and heavy). At the time of the creation of the “State comprehensive program for the development of the aviation industry of Ukraine until 2020” Ukr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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National Aerospace University «Kharkiv Aviation Institute»
2020-08-01
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| Series: | Авіаційно-космічна техніка та технологія |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://nti.khai.edu/ojs/index.php/aktt/article/view/1159 |
| Summary: | According to European experts, only the USA and Ukraine can produce a full line of military transport aircraft of all weight categories (light, medium, and heavy).
At the time of the creation of the “State comprehensive program for the development of the aviation industry of Ukraine until 2020” Ukraine had:
- light transport aircraft An-32 with a carrying capacity of 6.7 tons and a range of 2500 km;
- operational and tactical military passenger aircraft (MPA) with a carrying capacity of 30 tons and a range with a full load of 4300 km;
- regional passenger aircraft Аn-148-100В (An-148-100V) with a maximum payload of 9.0 tons and a range of 2600 km.
Through the efforts of the entire Antonov Company team, prototypes have been designed, manufactured, and partly tested such modifications as An-132D, An-178, and An-188, the implementation of which is based on the use of the new “Methodology for Designing Military Transport Aircraft Modifications, Taking into Account Profound Changes in the Wing and in the Power Plant”.
Given the scientific provisions of this "Methodology ...":
- based on the An-32 aircraft, a modification of the light aircraft MTA An-132D with a carrying capacity of 9.1 tons, with an increased range of up to 2400 km and with a fuel efficiency index higher than that of the base model, has been created through profound changes in the power plant, i.e. using PW150 engines and an increase in fuel mass by one and a half times;
- based on the An-148 passenger aircraft, by means of profound changes both in the wing geometry and in the power plant, a modification of the mid-range military transport An-178 aircraft has been created with a carrying capacity of 18 tons and a range with a maximum load of 1.200 km, which provides a niche to this modification not occupied by competitors;
- ensuring the complete superiority of the An-188 modification among analog competitors is also based on the profound changes: replacement the D27 turboprop engine for a turbofan CFM LEAP-1Ain the power plant; the use of a discrete geometric twist of the local wing chords, which ensured the aircraft range of 3200 km with a payload of 47 tons and significantly increased its combat readiness due to the use of turbofan engines.
A comparative assessment of these military transport aircraft with their basic models shows that the team of the Antonov Company has honorably implemented the “State comprehensive program for the development of the aviation industry of Ukraine until 2020” in part of the creation of a new generation of military transport aircraft that is competitive in all technical and economic parameters. |
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| ISSN: | 1727-7337 2663-2217 |