Sales spur Russia to hone helicopter engine technology

While other helicopter-producing nations have been investing in a broad range of advanced vertical lift technologies, Russia has been focusing primarily on manufacturing new turboshaft and rotary piston engines.

With new powerplants, the country hopes its helicopter makers can produce competitive products in the lower-medium and lightweight rotorcraft market sectors, where Russian manufacturers feel they have been losing ground to Western rivals.

A key goal is to develop indigenous engines for the Kazan Helicopters Ansat and the Kamov Ka-226, both of which currently have Western-built engines.

Kazan Helicopters developed the Ansat with its own funding to fill the void left by the once popular lightweight Mi-2 and Ka-25 helicopters, last produced decades ago. The single-engine helicopter features fly-by-wire flight controls, lightweight structures and modern avionics using a mix of Russian and Western components.

Certified two years ago and already operational, with the first units going to South Korea, the Ansat has not been selling well in Russia. Though the Russian air force selected a special version of the Ansat over the Kamov Ka-226 as its future training helicopter for flying schools, it demanded that its versions of the trainer and light reconnaissance helicopter were powered by a Russian engine instead of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PK207.

The same issue, but with the Rolls-Royce 250 engines, has limited Russian sales of Kamov Ka-226s in the Ansat's 2-2.5t maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) class.

Although oil and natural gas giant RAO Gazprom and Moscow Police placed small orders and have already received some of the aircraft, they have been persistent in asking for an advanced Russian powerplant.

Russia's emergencies ministry has also made it clear that it will buy only "mature" versions of the Ansat and Ka-226, both of which already passed evaluation tests, when they get a Russian powerplant.

Along with the political reasons, a new breed of homemade engines will also make Russian helicopters competitive on the world market. Officials expect engines in the 400-1,000hp (300-745kW) range to be two to three-times less expensive than their Western counterparts, while offering better performance.

Much hope is being placed in the VK-800, which is in the 600-1,000hp range. This is a joint development project between Russia's Klimov and Ukraine's Motor-Sich and Progress. Certification is expected in 2008.

In order to make the product competitive, Klimov has secured the support of the Russian government and local authorities to build an all-new production plant for TV3/7-117 and VK-800 engines in St Petersburg. When complete, the facility will become the first new factory for the Russian aviation industry since the 1970s.

Klimov estimates a global market demand for VK-800-class helicopter engines of 7,900 units through 2015. In Russia, the company projects sales of 1,250 VK-800s for Ansat helicopters, including 800 military versions, generating $260 million in revenue. For the Mi-38, it predicts a need for 600 TV7-117 turboshaft engines valued at $420 million, half of which will be for military variants.

Success in the lightweight helicopters sector is currently the most elusive for the Russians. The Mi-34, in the 1t MTOW class saw little success, with a just a dozen aircraft delivered to Kazakhstan, Nigeria and Russian customers.

Blame is laid on the Vedeneyev M-14 engine, which dates back to the radial piston engines of Second World War fighters. Its recent reincarnation as the M-9F, with a digital control block and fuel injectors replacing the carburettor, is seen as a temporary measure.

High hopes are tied to a new lightweight helicopter from Kazan Helicopters, the Aktai. In same MTOW class as the ill-fated Mi-34, the Aktai is based on an AvtoVAZ rotary piston engine, the VAZ 4265. Compared with the M-14, the VAZ produces the same power but weighs 100kg (220lb) less and delivers 25% more fuel efficiency.

AvtoVAZ became part of Russian arms vendor Rosoboronexport two years ago, and is being integrated into other Rosoboronexport industrial initiatives.

"We have received an offer from the helicopter makers of Oboronprom," AvtoVAZ president Vladimir Artyakov told Flight International.

"They want a new rotary piston engine on their lightweight helicopters, and they want us to do this work for them."

AvtoVAZ had been producing rotary piston engines since the 1970s for KGB cars until about three years ago. A derivative of the auto engine for aviation purposes failed in the early 1990s when Mil refused to accept the powerplant for the Mi-34 due to reliability problems.

Given advances in manufacturing and computer-aided design technology however, the company now believes it can build a durable and reliable rotary piston engine for aviation applications. It recently reaffirmed that it will produce a next-generation aviation engine for the Kazan Aktai.

Source: Flight International