Date Posted 05 February 2010

No Certification of Passenger Variant Be-200 Airplane for Now

The unique Russian Be-200 amphibious airplane will be certified for a while only in the fire-fighting variant and for the time being the passenger version for the European market will not be certified, the Irkut corporation vice president for marketing and external communications, Vladimir Sautov, reported at the Singapore Airshow 2010 air salon to RIA Novosti on Friday.

"Be-200 certification will concern only for the one version of the airplane that is intended to put out fires. As regards the passenger variant, despite the fact that the aircraft is in exceptional demand and we have many requests for it, including a number from European countries, we cannot certify it as the manufacturers: it has to be a decision of the aviation authorities, and possibly, the governments of interested countries," Sautov said.

The island state of Southeast Asia are, in his opinion, an extremely prospective marker for the Russian amphibious airplane. The Irkut corporation intends to market this airplane actively in this region and in the ASEAN countries.

The Be-200ChS airplane participated in extinguishing huge forest fires in 2006 on the Indonesian islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra.

The Be-200 amphibious airplane was developed at the Beriev TANTK and has no counterparts in the world in flight and technical characteristics.

The airplane's maximum takeoff weight is 41 tonnes. Flight cruising altitude is 8,000, maximum flight speed is 710 kilometers per hour, and range is up to 3,850 kilometers.

The Be-200 is equipped with two D-436TP engines manufactured by Ukraine's Motor Sich Joint Stock Company. The airplane is able to carry 72 passengers or up to 7.5 tonnes of various cargoes.

A special variant, the Be-200ChS, intended for extinguishing fires, has been developed for the ministry of emergency situations.

Source: 05.02.10, RIA Novosti
Date Posted 04 February 2010

Irkut Corporation Secures Contract for Delivery of Six Yak-130 Airplanes to Libya

((Title says it all.  Not further translated.))

Source: 04.02.10, Avia.RU

Il'yushin Finans Ko to Deliver Tu-204 and An-148 to Bangladeshi Airlines

((One Tu-204S will be leased by NovoAir.  The other, as well as two An-148 will be leased by Bismillah Airline.  In addition, IFK signed a preliminary letter of intent with Vector Aviation in Vietnam for  the deliver of one Tu-204S cargo airplane.))

Source: 04.02.10, AviaPort.RU, Correspondent: Maksim Fetisov

Date Posted 03 February 2010

Russian Fifth Generation Fighter to Continue Flight Tests Outside Moscow

Flight tests of the Russian fifth generation combat airplane will continue this year outside Moscow at the Gromov Flight Test Center, ARMS-TASS reports.

As Russian Federation vice premier, Sergey Ivanov, announced, the fifth generations first flight was successful; however, much still remains to be done.

"There is still a lot of work, both on the electronics and on the weapons and on the engine," Ivanov said. - "But the tests will be continued." The vice premier specified that "the airplane will make several more flights at Komsomol'sk-on-Amur, and afterward will go to the Moscow area for tests."

At the same time, Ivanov reminded that the aircraft made first flight with an engine from a previous generation airplane, although the most modern of the 4++ generation. "So, the question of its own engine for the new fighter will remain on the agenda," he said.

Source: 03.02.10, Avia.RU

Stand for Tests of New Il-76 Modifications Created

Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute reliability engineers have completed assembly of a stand for service life tests for the Il-76 family of airplanes airframe, including its new modifications with the PS-90 engine. The Il'yushin Joint Stock Company ordered creation of the stand.

The new stand is unique: it allows simultaneously testing it different modifications on one airframe example. The right wing was modified for it. Tests of the airplane may be performed in parallel on the installation with the PS-90 engine mount installed on one side and a D-30 engine mounted on the other. The stand also allows creating variable loading of the wing, flaps and inner and outer engine suspension points with inertial and aerodynamic loads at the ground and flight stage both at high and at low altitudes.  The test program includes cycling seven flights at altitude and one flight near the ground which reflect the average static loading of the airplanes in service and the forecast loading for future modifications.

The first stage of start up check-out operations has now been concluded: autonomous fine tuning of a digital multichannel system of electro-hydraulic loading, the oil pump station, the stand's hydraulic system, devices for loading of the wing, flaps and engine suspension points has been carried out. Completion of the start up check-out operations and the stand's certification are planned in the first quarter of 2010.

Source: 03.02.10, Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute 

The Fifth Generation's First Flight

The Russian aircraft industry has made a serious break-through in the race for time

((Long article rehashes everything already written about the PAK FA and its first flight.  Not translated here.))

Source: 03.02.10, Voenno-Promyshlennyy Kur'er, Correspondent: Il'ya Kedrov

Motor Sich Contracts to Upgrade An-32 Engines for Indian Air Force

Motor Sich has contracted to upgrade the Indian air force's An-32 engines. The contract for a total of 110 million dollars was signed at the end of December and is calculated for 3 years, Kommersant na Ukraine reports.

In 2010, Motor Sich is upgrading nearly 100 AI-20 aircraft engines. Besides Motor Sich, ANTK Antonov (design documentation and upgrade recommendations) and civil aviation plant 410 (overhaul work) are participating in the upgrade program of India's air force fleet of military transport airplanes.

Ukraine's Spetstekhnoehksport and India's defense ministry signed a corresponding contract worth nearly 500 million dollars in June of last yet. More than 100 An-32 are expected to be upgraded within the project's framework.

Source: 03.02.10, Avia.RU
Date Posted 02 February 2010

Indian Navy to Take Possession Squadron of Carrier-Based MiG-29K Fighters in February

((An unspecified number of the fighters was delivered in "knock-down" form and the aircraft are now being reassembled by Russian technicians at Hansa airbase, where they will be stationed until the "Vikramaditia" (ex. Admiral Gorshkov) has been overhauled and delivered to India.  Not further translated.))

Source: 02.02.10, ARMS-TASS

Poland's Defense Ministry to Begin Negotiations for Purchase of Five Mi-17 Helicopters in Next Few Days for Military Contingent in Afghanistan

((Title says it all.  Not further translated.))

Source: 02.02.10, ARMS-TASS

 

Date Posted 01 February 2010

T-50 Fighter Engine Has No Counterparts in Russia or the World

The fifth generation T-50 (PAK FA) fighter made its first flight Friday with a completely new engine that has no counterparts in Russia or in the world, RIA Novosti reports referring to the Unified Engine Building Corporation (ODK) program director for the PAK FA, Il'ya Fedorov.

"It is a newer engine, not an improved counterpart to the power plant for the Su-35, as some in the media were writing and some 'specialists' were saying yesterday. It meets all requirements given us by the Sukhoy company," Mr. Fedorov said.

In comparison with the engine for the Su-35, it is distinguished by increased thrust and a complex automatic control system, which endows new qualities to the airplane, including ultra-maneuverability, Fedorov noted, emphasizing that right now he cannot disclose more detailed characteristics.

He reported that the engines has been in development for the last 4 years. A sufficient quantity of them already has been produced for performing all the complex of tests. At the same time, Mr. Fedorov emphasized that even now it individual components and part are being improved and undergoing tests.

Source: 29.01.10, Avia.RU

Pilot Training for Fifth Generation Fighter to Start in 2013

Crew training for flights on the Russian fifth generation fighter, which made its first flight on Friday, will begin in 2013, and series purchases of the airplane will begin in 2015, NEWSru.COM reports referring to Russian Federation prime minister Vladimir Putin.

"The first pre-production batch is supposed to be delivered to Lipetsk so that airmen begin working and training on it," he said at a session of the Russian Federation government's presidium. "A pleasant experience took place today. It was put to the wing," Putin said. According to him, much already has been done, but "much more needs to be done. It is a question both of the engine and weapons, but the fact that the airplane is in the air is a great step forward in the creation of this complex," the premier noted.

For his part, the deputy government chairman, Sergey Ivanov reported at the presidium session to the prime minister that the fifth generation fighter "uniquely combines the function of a fighter and a strike complex, capable of operating both against ground targets and against airborne and surface targets."

"This airplane is equipped with a new avionics complex integrating the functions of an electronic ((sic)) pilot and an active phases antenna array," he said. - "It will allow the airplane's pilots to reduce their workload significantly and concentrate only on the resolution of tactical missions."

Ivanov noted that the new airplane "is able to be in real time communications both with ground controllers and with other airplanes of a similar class." The deputy chairman agreed with Putin that much work remains, in particular on the upgrade of the ministry of defense range for the airplane's test.

The Russian Federation head of the defense ministry, Anatoliy Serdyukov, expressed the hope that all schedules for deliveries of the first batch of the fifth generation fighters will be maintained.

Source: 29.01.10, Avia.RU

KAPO Finishes Major Overhaul of Russian Federation Air Force Tu-160 Bomber

The Kazan' Gorbunov Aviation Production Association Joint Stock Company (KAPO, Kazan') has concluded major overhaul of the Russian Federation air force Tu-160 strategic bomber "V. Reshetnikov," a representative of the enterprise reported to an AviaPort.RU correspondent.

By the start of 2001, in accordance with the START-II treaty, Russia had  15 Tu-160 airplanes in combat order, six of which were armed with strategic cruise missiles. In 2002, the defense ministry entered into a contract with KAPO for the upgrade of all 15 Tu-160 airplanes.

Source: 01.02.10, AviaPort.RU, Correspondent: Il'dar Valeev

Russia Sells Libya Arms for 1.3 Billion Euros

((Among other systems in which Libya has an interest, they will buy Su-35 fighters and are interested in purchasing the Su-30 and Yak-130.  Not further translated.))

Source: 01.02.10, Lenta.RU

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