In May 2015 specialists of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) have completed the first stage of a project related to studying a model of a next-generation short-haul airliner. This aircraft is being developed by TsAGI under the Federal Target Program “Development of civil aircraft for 2002–2010 and the period until 2015”. The model was tested in the institute’s trans-sonic wind tunnel, TsAGI’s press-service reports.
«The next-generation aircraft has no analogues in the world; it is distinguished by two major innovations.
The first innovation introduced by TsAGI’s specialists is a low-sweep wing, which ensures laminar flow with no random velocity and pressure fluctuations on the surface, and significantly reduces aircraft drag. The use of state-of-the-art wing airfoils allows keeping the same speed as that of predecessors — 830-850 km/h.
The second distinguishing feature of the new aircraft is the placement of the engines above the trailing edge of the wing. The scientists chose this configuration to reduce the noise from the aircraft flying over areas adjacent to airports. This environmental requirement is constantly becoming stricter and it is becoming one of the major criteria for the development of advanced aircraft.
In this configuration, the noise from the fans of the engines (major source of noise) is reflected by the wing upwards before reaching the ground. Furthermore, this solution allows installing more fuel-efficient engines with a larger diameter. Moving the engine to the top reduces the probability of foreign objects being ingested into the air intakes from the runway, which increases flight safety. This configuration allows reducing the length of the landing gear leg, thereby reducing its weight,” said in the TsAGI’s statement.
“The tests have confirmed our estimates in terms of speed and efficiency,” TsAGI’s head of the department of aerodynamics of civil aircraft prospective layout Ivan Chernyshev said. “We will recommend this layout for further technical evaluation by the national design bureaus.”
