The flight test program of the upgraded Russia-Ukraine An-70 military-transport aircraft is succeeding, the General Designer of Zaporozhye Machine-Building Design Bureau Progress State Enterprise named after Academician A.G.Ivchenko (Ivchenko-Progress), Igor Kravchenko, declared at Airshow China-2012 in Zhuhai, Vzglyad.ru reports.
«The aircraft is completing the testing of D-27 engines. The test program is running in accordance with its schedule. The engine performance is being verified», - Kravchenko said (Interfax reports).
D-27 engines developed by Ivchenko-Progress are manufactured by Motor Sich (Zaporozhye, Ukraine). It has become known earlier that representatives of ministries of defense of both countries, State Proving Flying Center of Ukrainian Armed Forces and Baranov Central Institute of Aviation Motor Development (Russia) are taking part in the state testing of D-27.
According to Ivchenko-Progress, the engine’s limit-life is not less than 50 years.
We remind you that Kiev and Moscow established cooperation in 2009 in order to develop the tactical military-transport An-70 aircraft and An-70T powered by D-27 engines, launch the aircraft’s serial production and start the deliveries.
An-70 project is part of the State program in the area of arms for 2011-2020 and the state defense order (Russia intends to order 60 An-70s). An-70 outmatches its foreign analogues by a number of parameters. For example, its price and direct operating costs are 50% lower as compared to European А400М.
The weight-lift ability of An-70 is 47 tons (A400M has a weight-lift ability of 37 tons), An-70’s cargo volume is 425 cubic meters (A400M has a cargo volume of 340 cubic meters). The cost of A400M is about €145 million, while An-70 costs about $67 million. An-70 is the advanced medium military-transport aircraft with the short takeoff and landing capability. It is intended for delivery of almost all the nomenclature of army’s weapons and vehicles with a total weight varying from 35 to 47 tons (range varies from 3000 to 5100 km). Theaircraft’scruisespeedis700-750 km/h.
It may also transport up to 300 service men or evacuate up to 200 wounded men. The new aircraft may be operated from unpaved runways with a length of 600-700 meters. Its board instruments allow independent operation without any special ground equipment.
