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Aviation History
1993
1993 - 2180.PDF
MOSCOW AEROSPACE '93 REPORT Perm re-opens door to General Electric Engine manufacturer Perm has re-opened talks with GE Aircraft Engines and its partner Snecma on a deal to help modify the Aviadvigatel/ Perm PS-90A turbofan, even though it announced an agree ment with rival engine-maker Pratt & Whitney at the Paris air show in June. Agreement on which West ern company will be selected to modify the PS-90A has still not been reached, according to Perm chief Yuri Reshetnikov. "We're still in negotiations with General Electric and Pratt & Whitney," he says. "We will decide on the win ner by the end of the year," Reshetnikov adds. Reshetnikov says that GE has revised its position on financ ing a deal to offer a re-fanned version of the engine. "The previous offer was unaccepta ble to us," he comments. The new offer "...means that we're talking again". Pratt & Whitney's proposal centres on joint development of a package of modifications. An agreement on the principles of co-operation was signed at Paris. "I can say we've defi nitely made more progress with Pratt & Whitney," says Reshet nikov. "Soon, we'll probably sign another agreement, cover ing the general design of the engine." He insists, however, that the door remains open to both proposals. The 160kn (35,0001b)-thrust PS-90A already powers the Tu- polev Tu-204 and the Ilyushin 11-96 airliners, and in another version, the new Yakovlev Yak 242. Western engine man ufacturers consider the engine to be the most advanced of its type currently built in Russia. Western involvement in de velopment of the PS-90A would include an attempt to certificate the engine in the west, where, according to Avi- advigatel/Perm, it could be sold at a price "ten.times lower", than the similarly sized Pratt & Whitney PW2037 and Rolls- Royce RB.211-535E4. • New funds brighten Mi-28's future The Russian army is financing development of an all-weather version of the Mil Mi-28 Havoc attack heli copter — which could enter series production by 1996 — despite initially adopting the Karriov Ka-50 Hokum, ac cording to Mil officials. Mil started work on an all-weather variant of the Mi- 28, the Mi-28N, in 1992, al though its first flight date remains dependent on the of ficial funding available. Four prototypes of the clear-weather-capable Mi-28 Havoc have been built and they are nearing the end of flight testing. 1 The all-weather variant will be equipped with a forward- looking infra-red sensor and a mast-mounted radar system. The adoption of the Ka-50 has been contested fiercely by Mil. It claims that the emerg ing army doctrine of nap-of- the-earth flying is more suited to the Mi-28N than the Ka-50. The Ka-50 is a single-seat helicopter, while the Mi-28 is designed with the tradi tional pilot/weapons operator layout (Flight International, 1- 7 September). Mil is also continuing pre liminary design work on the Mi-40 transport/attack heli copter, a potential Mi-24 Hind replacement, although it has no government funding for this project. Michael Loginov, chief of marketing in Mil's research department, admits that the future of both projects hangs on a debate in progress on mobile-armed-forces doctrine within the army. • Tests of vertical-launched AA-12s were a hit, but orders are missing Vympel completes new AA-12 tests Russian missile specialist Vympel has completed test-firing programmes on ram jet/solid-motor and vertical- launch variants of its AA-12 air-to-air missile (AAM). Ac cording to company officials, around 20 firings of both vari ants were carried out sucess- fully for proof of concept. The compound ramjet/solid propellant system has been de veloped despite the lack of a specific Russian air force re quirement, says Vympel. The aim, says the company, was to provide an engagement range at low-to-medium level compa rable to that of the "conven tional" AA-12 at high altitude. Officials quote an 80-100km (45-55nm) range for the ramjet system at low-to-medium level. Ground- and ship-launched variants of the missile are under study, although no firm requirement exists. Meanwhile, the future of the original AA-12 air-to-air mis sile, which carries the export designation RVV-AE, has been cast into doubt by the failure of the Russian air force to place a production order. Senior officials from the Moscow-based design bureau admit that although develop ment of the AA-12, dubbed the Amraamski, is complete, it has not been accepted officially by the state as ready for service. The AA-12 was developed for Mikoyan MiG-29s and MiG-31s. Although the system can be integrated with the stan dard MiG-29 Cassegrain radar as well as with the MiG-29Ms I Zhuk radar, funding has not been made available for a retro fit programme. "The problem is money," says Vympel, which adds that while development is complete, "...integration with the carrier aircraft is the issue now". Despite the lack of a produc tion order, Vympel claims that series production has actually begun: "We have decided our selves to go on with series production. We are taking the risk ourselves." The move is in part caused by the lack of alternative work for the production site. The company is also pursuing over seas sales. Vympel also claims that the AA-12 can be carried internally on "advanced-carrier aircraft", suggesting that the missile was intended for follow-on designs to the Fulcrum and Flanker. D October flight for Ilyushin 11-103 Ilyushin's 11-103 four-seat, low-wing monoplane is to fly for the first time next month. The aircraft is due to be certifi cated in 1994 by Russian and Western authorities, and will be available to customers later in 1994, says the company. The 11-103 is the first gen eral-aviation aircraft to be of fered by Ilyushin which, in common with other Russian and other CIS airliner manufac turers, is trying to expand its product line. The all-metal air craft was on static display at Zhukovsky. With its tapered fuselage, it is similar in appear ance to a typical Piper single. The 11-103, powered by a Teledyne Continental IO- 360ES, has a cruising speed of 140kt (255km/h) at 10,000ft (3,000m) in its trainer guise. It has a claimed +6/-3g capability. A touring version of the aircraft will also be offered. • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 8 - 14 September, 1993 15
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