Home / Archive / N5 2009 / AN-148 aircraft contrary to all rules became an object of series manufacture
AN-148 aircraft contrary to all rules became an object of series manufacture
Flights of the short range AN-148-100 aircraft were shown during the Moscow International Air and Space Show МАКS-2009. Series manufacture of the aircraft was started in the aircraft enterprise VASO in Voronezh city. AN-148 has got credits for all flight and predelivery tests. The industry experts consider that the joint Russian-Ukrainian project has good future.We would remind you, that the presentation of AN-148-100, the first short range production airplane of a new generation, took place on the 29.07.09 in Voronezh city. It is designed for delivering up to 85 passengers to a distance up to 5000 km. About 200 Russian and Ukrainian enterprises take part in the construction of AN-148. An airplane for 60% is composed of OEM components made by Russian airspace complex enterprises and about 30% of the OEM components are delivered by Ukrainian side. Series manufacture of the aircraft is taking place in two places: the first one is OAO (Open Joint Stock Company) VASO in Voronezh and the second one is in the "Aviant" enterprise in Kiev.
It is necessary to mention, that AN-148 aircraft was constructed by using the equity of all the participants of the project. This fact was more than once underlined by Alexander Rubtsov, the leasing company "Il'yushinFinance & Co" president, during the presentation of the aircraft. He said that no budgetary funds were allocated for the construction of AN-148 aircraft. So, AN-148 is the bright example of common work, when all the participants of the project made a part of some job using their own account and risk their money to develop new systems and equipment. After that the project became a reality.
The tests for AN-148 are started since 19.07.09 and they could be done according to the formula 6+9+6. The press release representatives of the Social Information and press centre of the Open Joint Stock Company "VASO" explain that it means 6 predelivery tests, 9 certification tests and 6 acceptance flights are planned to be accomplished. The AN-148, in space of time during the tests, will participate in the MAKS-2009. It is planned that on 19.08.09 the aircraft will make there demonstration flight and in September, the first aircraft will be sent to its first starting customer - GTK "Russia".
We remind you, that the designing of the passenger's aircraft AN-148 (that time the name of the aircraft was AN-74-68) has begun at the O.K. Antonov's OKB (experimental design office) under the leadership of Pyetr Balabuyev chief designer. But the projecting of the aircraft has begun only in 2001. The transport aircraft AN-74TK-300 was used as the base of the construction. But the wing was designed from the start; the length of the fuselage was increased; zaporozhskiye engines D-436-148 equipped with electronic digital control system with full responsibility (FADEC) were installed. In 2003 preparation for series manufacture 0f AN-148 aircrafts has begun at the Khar'kov and Voronezh air enterprises.
The first samples of the AN-148 aircrafts made their flights in the years of 2004 and 2005. Certification tests were accomplished 2 years. During that period of time 2 experimental aircrafts made 682 test flights. General endurance of those flights was 1200 hours. The aircraft has proved requested aerodynamic and strength properties also under the conditions of high mountains, high and low temperatures (from -55° up to +45°С), natural and critical ice formation rate and under the various conditions of runways.
In 2005 the license contract about delegation of the rights for using of trademark, technical documentation and for manufacturing AN-148 aircrafts to the voronezhsky air enterprise was signed between (VASO) and Ukrainian ANTK O.K. Antonov. That contract enabled Russia to start series manufacture of AN-148 aircrafts. The most important event in the existence of AN-148 aircraft took place in 2007. Certificates of Aviation register of Russia's intergovernmental aviation committee and Ukraine's state aviation administration were given to aircraft, its engine D-436-148 and its auxiliary power unit AI-450-MS.
Two more AN-148 aircrafts are in the final assembly shop in Voronezh. According to Vitaliy Zubarev, Open Joint Stock Company "VASO" general director, 4 aircrafts will be constructed by the end of the year and 3 of them will be sent to the customer after predelivery and certification tests. The plans of the air enterprise are: to construct 7 aircrafts in the year 2010; 14 - in 2011; 20 - in 2012; 32 - in 2013. And starting since 2014 up to 36 aircrafts will be constructed at the VASO during a year. Aleksey Fyedorov, OAK president, told "AM" reporter that it is necessary to carry out quite scaled re-equipment of the enterprise in order to construct yearly such amount of aircrafts. And this re-equipment has already started. According to Fyedorov 1 billion roubles have already invested for the technical re-equipment of the Voronezh enterprises. And the general programme of investment during 5 years will be 5 billion roubles. It will be quite enough to arrange efficient and high-technology production.
All matter is in price and reliability
Up to 500 AN-148 aircrafts could be constructed at Voronezh and Kiyev enterprises. It is quite possible, that supplementary capacities, both from Russia and Ukraine, will be used in the frames of cooperation for accelerating and reduction in price of manufacture. That was Alexander Rubtsov's, "Il'yushin Finance & Co" general director, opinion. It is necessary to optimize production partnership in order to bring down production cost. The main thing is that the aircraft must be safe and cheap.
Originally it was supposed that the price for an aircraft would be about $25-27 millions. But now aircrafts are sold to the starting customers with big discount, even below cost, about $21-22 millions. Such move has already attracted a lot of customers. So, the biggest transaction of late we could consider the contract between "Il'yushin Finance & Co" and "Atlant-Soyuz" airline for purchasing 30 AN-148 aircrafts. First aircrafts will come to the airline by the beginning of 2010 year. According to Evgeniy Bachurin, "Atlant-Soyuz" airline general director, at present perspective route net is already calculated for them. Most probably AN-148 will flight from Moscow to Samara, Nizhniy Novgorod, Sankt-Peterburg, Rostov, Ufu. The delivering of the AN-148 aircrafts to the airline will be completed by the year 2012.
But "Polyet" airline, that signed a reliable contract for delivering 10 АN-148 aircrafts, took an interest in the Russian-Ukrainian aircraft at the design stage. According to Anatoliy Karpov, "Polyet" airline general director, AN-148 aircraft attracted their attention by its technical characteristics. For example, this is a high wing aircraft with the engines installed under the wings. In this case the engines are protected from being damaged by small stones while operating on soft-surface runways. "The AN-148 aircraft arrangement does perfectly for Russian aerodromes as opposed to recently purchased Swedish SAAB-2000 aircrafts. Composite propellers of those aircrafts are permanently out of order." - in such way Anatoliy Karpov explains his choice. Besides, it is not possible to make a flight without landing from Voronezh to Egypt, Spain, Italy, and Turkey by SAAB. The dimensions of Swedish aircrafts are also not big enough. Now AN-148 with the flight range up to 5000 km and seating capacity up to 100 passengers will easily occupies this niche.
The representatives of "VolgaAviaekspress" airline of Volgograd also pay attention to the appearance of a new regional aircraft on the market. "We purchase medium range CRJ-200 aircrafts made by Bombard'ye company and AN-148 is able to add to them on the Russian routs" - Nikolay Ulanov, the owner of Air Volga company told the "AM" reporter.
The "OAK" stock of orders till now includes 60 AN-148 aircrafts. Among the customers there are: "Moscoviya" airline, GTK "Russia", "Polyet", "Atlant-Soyuz". Among the not-yet-users there are: "KavminvodyAvia", "VldivostokAvia", "Angara", and also Latin America and Africa countries. It is possible that some of the aircrafts will be needed for the president administration. And if before it was supposed to order Tu-334 aircrafts for the president, so now the administration is going to order AN-148 aircrafts" - general director of the special flying detachment of Russia told the "AM" reporter. - First AN-148 aircrafts will be intended for lifting governmental executive staff. We have to test the aircraft for at list 2years before we will be able to lift first parties. If the aircraft satisfy everybody, it will be ordered for first parties of the state - for the president and prime-minister".
An-148 or «Super jet»?
Experts consider that AN-148 is quite promising aircraft. It needs to pay attention to. An aircraft which has the dimensions like Tu-134 but with completely different characteristics on fuel consumption, noises, economics and easy to operate, the one which has 2 crew members and the newest avionics attracts everybody's attention, - Oleg Panteleyev chief of the " Avia Port" analytical agency explains. - More over the AN-148 can be transformed into transport, ramp, and military and military transport aircraft. And the most important thing is that the aircraft is certificated".
"Antonov's ANTK has its own history, its own culture for creation of transport passenger aircrafts, that is why AN-148 was created on the good base. Аntonovtsy ( the company contingent) just could not make a bad plane", - Anatoliy Sitnov, colonel-general, president of ZAO "DVIGATELI "Vladimir Klimov-Motor Sich" considers.
"Taking into consideration the fact that all Superjet programs are delayed and keeping in mind the quality of our airfields, I suppose that AN-148 aircraft is the best version for development of regional transportation", - Sergey Gavrilov, deputy chairman on transport committee of RF State Duma, is sure.
When the "AM" reporter asked whether the Russian-Ukrainian AN-148 interfere with the Russian-European Sukhoi Superjet 100, Aleksey Fedorov, OAK president, responded that each one of the aircrafts would take its own niche, both in the world, and in the internal markets. According to pricing policy the AN-148 will make noncompetition clause to the similar types of foreign producers, such as Bombardier and Embraer than to Sukhoi Superjet 100. Besides, Superjet aircraft will flight between regional centers, where airdrome infrastructure is developed quite enough, and the quality of runways is very high. But AN-148 will flight in out-of-the-way places where the runways have worse quality. Alexander Rubtsov from the "IFK" supports Fedorov, who considers that AN-148 and Sukhoi Superjet are two mutually complementary and not compete projects. AN-148 has maximum number of seats-100, Sukhoi Superjet - 130. AN-148 is more oriented towards Russia and developing countries, and Sukhoi Superjet has higher export potential, it can flight in Europe. It is interesting that some airlines which visited the AN-148 presentation, took a decision to choose exactly this regional aircraft. They are not satisfied , that Sukhoi Superjet is not certified yet, and the aircraft has lost a lot of flight and predelivery tests. Besides due to low location of the engines some transporters will have to revise transportation net. It is not a secret for everybody that there are only about 15 aerodromes in Russia with quality runways, where the aircraft can land.
The truth is that, those airlines which want to purchase AN-148 now must wait for 2 years for sure. "From the other side, if the number of reliable contracts will be big enough then it will receive with high rate of probability the expected financing for constructing the other aircrafts, -Oleg Panteleev, chief of "AviaPort" analytical agency, considers. It is important to gain the production temp in order to bring down the cost price and labor input, reach the efficiency (50 aircrafts must be produced), and than we must reach profits. (250 aircrafts must be produced).
Svetlana Komagorova
