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Aviation History
1982
1982 - 2429.PDF
Commercial aircraft of the world is CCCP-86007 1 ral • tei ii The Ilyushin 11-86—the only Soviet widebody figure is scarcely impressive, contrasting with the comfortable transatlantic range of the TriStar 100 and high-gross-weight DC-10-10 at similar weights and payloads. The 11-86 does, however, have a particularly large cabin with wide aisles, and this penalises the aircraft to some extent. The Kuznetsov NK-86 engines have only moderate pressure and bypass ratios, and were possibly chosen for the sake of reliability, indicating perhaps a Soviet weakness in the area of high-temperature turbine blade technology. The 11-86 is the first Soviet commercial aircraft to feature quadruplex hydraulic systems, all independent. It is the first to lack manual reversion for the primary flight controls—the 11-76 possesses this feature despite its size—and also intro duces to Soviet service a system for on board monitoring of engine and system performance. The 11-86 is supposed to have been designed for on-condition mainten ance. A completely new feature of the 11-86 is the anti-icing system fitted to the wings and empennage, developed by the Ilyushin bureau. Instead of using hot air, the system breaks up ice by generating high-frequency electromagnetic pulses. It is claimed to use 500 times less energy than conventional hot-air or electrical systems. The Ilyushin system is now being studied by several Western companies. The unique passenger-loading arrange ment of the 11-86, in which the passengers carry their own baggage into underfloor vestibules before entering the cabin via internal stairways, is claimed to yield practical turnround times of as little as 50min with a full load of passengers. But a version of the aircraft is available with out this feature. Deletion of the three internal staircases and three external hydraulically operated airstairs saves 6,5001b (3,000kg) in operating empty weight, and makes room for 25 more seats for a total capacity of 375 seats. It is expected that a long-range wide- body, based on the 11-86, will be introduced by the Soviet Union once suitable engines are available. Latest reports suggest that the Kuznetsov design bureau is responsible for the development of a large high-bypass- ratio engine, a prerequisite for the evolu tion of any such aircraft. It should be noted that, by 1986-87, noise regulations will bar the obsolescent 11-62 from many Western ftirports. Because of the row over the supply of Western technology for the Soviet gas pipeline project, it seems highly unlikely that export licences would be granted for the supply of Rolls, GE or P&W high-bypass-ratio engines as was once discussed. Programme Status: In production with 20 (?) in service against a long-term requirement for several hundred. TU-134A. The Tu-134 and the current pro duction Tu-134A are small aircraft. The stretched 134A can accommodate 70-84 people and it is presumably with an eye to supplementing this aircraft in the East that Rombac/CNIAR are putting the One- Eleven 560 into production. When com pared with the F.28 Mk 4000, perhaps its closest Western equivalent, it weighs some 30,0001b (13,500kg) more at take-off. Programme Status: Slow production rate against a continuing requirement with 625 plus (?) produced. TU-144D. The Russian supersonic airliner is fast approaching the time when it has to be dropped from the survey. Although an improved version powered by four Kolesov turbojets in place of the original Kuznetsov NK-144 is believed to have been test flown, the aircraft has not achieved regular service status. The first prototype made its maiden flight in December 1968. Programme Status: Trials programme only. Tu-154. The Tu-154, now available as the Tu-154B, is the standard Soviet domestic airliner and production has probably now reached the 500-plus point. It did not have a very happy career with Egyptair and would not be very attractive to Western customers. It is rather bigger than the new short/medium-range Yak-42 and a lot smaller than the 11-86 widebody. In the longer term it could well be replaced by an aircraft in the class of the 757/767/ A310 but there are no signs yet that a suitable engine is available. Programme Status: Series production with deliveries at least at the 500 point. Yak-42. The 120-seat Yak42 is the only Soviet airliner which could be said to be powered by a "latest generation" turbo- fan. It took six years to translate the air craft from a flying prototype into an in- service airliner. This compares with per haps 18 months in the West—although in fairness it has to be pointed out that the Soviet practice is to use true prototypes for the early development and then refine the design into a production machine. The Yak-42 was, for example, flown with two different wing sweeps for comparative purposes. The aircraft has reasonably good airfield performance and is deployed on regional routes by Aeroflot. A stretched version with 140-seat capacity has been reported to be under development. Programme Status: In production with perhaps 60 delivered against a large requirement. Peoples Republic of China The Chinese aerospace industry remains something of a puzzle. Some details about new designs and projects, like the 120-seat Y-10 and proposals to re-engine the Trident with the CFM56, appear from time to time. But there are doubts that any have reached the status of volume production programmes. The Chinese have talked to several Western manufacturers about new aircraft purchases and about licence pro duction and the 737 was recently demon strated in China. There have also been suggestions that CAAC, the national air line, will take advantage of the availability of cheap used aircraft in the West to re- equip. It is highly unlikely that any Chinese airliners will make an impact on the Western market for at least a decade. (With the possible exception of the 17-seat Y-11T Turbo-Panda.) Y-10 (C + 10) Yunshuji. The 120-seat Y-10 is believed to have flown in August or Sep tember 1980 but has not been reported in service with CAAC. Prototype examples were seen by Western observers in 1980 who report that it closely resembles a 707 but has a five-abreast layout and a maxi- FLIGHT International, 23 October 1982 1215
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