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Aviation History
1989
1989 - 2827.PDF
disillusionment when the impracticality of meeting UK requirements became apparent. However, the Mi-2 is an old design, and newer machines may be adapted more easily to Western requirements. Another obstacle for Soviet manufacturers to negotiate is swingeing import tariffs imposed by some Western countries, including the USA. The Soviet Union's continuing lack of "most favoured nation" status can mean a 30 per cent import tax, and much less attractive export economics. Petrie thinks that the Mi-26 could certainly overcome the UK certification hurdle, and that a Western operator buying the giant machine could make a profit on heavy-lift work, if necessary ferrying the helicopter over large distances to pick up work. One factor in the Mi-26's favour is its unique 20-tonne lifting capacity, and that is an attribute which Mil intends to improve. ential pressures between each sensor, displaying the results on the pilot's airspeed gauge. "It is a very useful device," says Parker. "Among other things, it would help you avoid difficult control problems during windy conditions, and improve judgement when flying sideways or back wards. I would say it has significant tacti cal usefulness." Crew survivability is a key feature of the Havoc design philosophy. "We talk about it, they do it," complains Parlier. "The Havoc has everything from ballistically tolerant cockpit windows [reportedly between one and two inches thick] to indi vidually pressurised crew stations." The crew also has a unique and complex escape system, which, though it does not guarantee survival, "gives them a better chance than if there is none". A ring pull between the pilot's knees releases the crew harnesses, ac.ivates explosive door and stub-wing releases, and inflates blad ders from which the crew can roll them selves away from the aircraft. A major difference from the Apache is the limited emphasis on rotor system ballistic tolerance. The Havoc designers believe that pitch links and rotor blades are less likely to suffer combat damage, while the Apache designers do not. "The advantage of doing it our way is that we get a lot of straightforward damage tolerance," says Parlier. Particularly impressive is the Havoc's 30mm cannon, which is estimated to give it twice the hitting power of the Apache— or about the same as that of the A-10 close- air-support aircraft. The same weapon is used on the Soviet BMP armoured vehicle, so Havoc crews can easily reload in the field. The gun has two rates of fire—300 rounds a minute for anti-tank work, and 900 a minute for air combat. A video shown at Paris showed the cannon continuously firing at a target about 400m away to the left while the helicopter was yawed through 180° to the right. "They've locked the- gun to the telescopic sight," says Parlier, "anditworks verywell." Mil is to re-engine and re-blade the helicop ter, updating systems along the way, to enhance its "hot and high" payload, giving a 22-tonne payload under normal atmospheric conditions. The precise specification has yet to be set as Mil "tries to tempt our prospective customers," but there would be improvements in safety, reliability, component life, and overall performance, says Tishchenko. The current Lotarev D-136 turboshafts will be improved to offer more power or reduced fuel-bum. CHEAP AND PRODUCTIVE The problem with the Mi-26 is the large financial exposure faced by any operator who buys it. However, the new breed of light Soviet helicopters do not engender the same risks. The turbine-powered Kamov Ka-126 is available for the equivalent of Rb400,000— about $650,000. The Ka-126 is not only cheap but, it is said, highly productive in crop-spraying because of the responsiveness and the downwash pattern of its co-axial rotors. The helicopter uses the rotor of the earlier Ka-26 piston twin and, it is believed, a number of major airframe parts. The Mi-34 piston single is cheaper still at $325,000, though the "price" is academic as the type has yet to go into production. Its selling point is its aerobatic performance and alleged responsiveness of the elderly radial piston-engine that powers it. Mil would like to develop a turbine- engined version of this small sport helicopter, but has been unable to do so because of the unavailability of a small turboshaft in the Soviet Union or the West. The problem graphically highlights the difficulties Soviet organisations may encounter when they attempt to establish joint ventures. Kamov chief designer Sergei Mikheyev went with Soviet engine officials to the Heli copter Association International convention in New Orleans early this year, seeking a joint venture with a US firm on a small turboshaft. Mikheyev wanted a 350 s.h.p.-400 s.h.p. unit for the Mi-34, as no such engine was produced in the Soviet Union. There have been no takers, according to Tishchenko. US firms have declined to comment on talks with the Soviets, but factors such as technology transfer, the difficulty and cost of administering a US-Soviet joint venture, and worries over technical uncertainties may have deterred them from forming an arrangement. Tishchenko's suggested step-by-step approach might, however, circumvent these problems, while industry observers will be watching closely how the many talks under way on joint ventures pan out. In the meantime, Mil is pressing ahead alone. The new Mi-38, similar in size and concept to the European Helicopter Indus tries EH.101, is the most advanced Soviet civil helicopter ever, asserts the Mil official. It is due to fly in five years' time. A replacement for the Mi-8 and Mi-17, the 14-5-tonne machine has an elastomeric rotor hub, a scissors-type tail rotor, a retractable under carriage, and much-improved aerodynamics. "We hope for a very low fuel consumption per unit of work," says Mil. The engines, a pair of 3,200 s.h.p. units, will have a 100-parameter health and usage monitoring system able to spot trouble before it poses a threat to safety. A sensor will warn of engine compressor blade erosion by look ing for pressure loss downstream. Tishchenko wants Western certification, but says: "It is very difficult to foresee the requirements of US and UK authorities". C Mil seeks Western engine Mil's new Mi-34 training helicopter is currently powered by a 325 h.p. Vedeneyev nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine mounted in the centre fuselage, but the Soviets have been seeking a 350 s.h.p. to 400 s.h.p. Western turbine. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 16 September 1989 45
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