Airfleet #3, 2011

№ 3. 2011

– Cool exercise, ISN’T IT? – Yes, nice firing range!

CONTENTS

3.2011 (88)

Training Level D flight simulator for An-148.........................................................2 Director General Valeriy Stolnikov Deputy Director General Alexander Kiryanov Viktor Zaharov Commercial Director Denis Kostin Deputy Commercial Director Vitaliy Galuschak Marketing Director Leonid Belyaev Deputy Marketing Director Evgeniy Abdrashitov Sergey Burda Representative office in Saint-Petersburg Deputy Director General Oleg Perevoschikov Commercial Director Sergey Baydak Advertising Sales Director Milana Nikolaeva Development Director Roman Moshnin Development Manager Dmitriy Koshalov Marketing Director Anna Ogneva Editor Denis Rebeka Editor-in-Chief of A4 Press Publishing Valeriy Stolnikov Editor-in-Chief of AirFleet Alexander Gudko Editors Mikhail Nayden Alexander Velovich Creative Director Vladimir Bondarev Art Director Al'vina Kirillova Designers Alexander Cheredayko Nadezhda Fadina Aleksandr Strelyaev Kirill Solomentsev Marketing Manager Elena Kotenochkina Photos and graphics in this issue: Marina Lystseva, Alexey Stefanov, Vladimir Karnozov,Michael R. Holzworth, anvictory.org, leonidnikitinskiy.pdj.ru, mbda-systems. com, comfiles.air-attack.com, dic.academic.ru, imageshack.us, clker.com, torch.aetc.af.mil.

War Lybian test site for European fighters.................................................................8

Engines Motor Sich: Past, Present and Future........................................................14

Aircraft Aeroflot learns to fly Superjet..................18 A380: the tool for market dominance.......................................................26

Metal Continuous development is the keystone of success...............................32

Navigation COMPASS in the World of High-Tech...................................................38

Сommodity-Money-Commodity Russian weapons trade.............................44

Test & Search GkNIPAS: Reliability on the earth – Safety in air.....................................................48

Cooperation India tries to join exclusive Club of 5th generation fighter owners.......................................................52 Maiden flight of Indo-Russian MTA in 2017-18.......................................................56

Circulation: 10 000 The magazine is registered in the Committee for Press of the Russian Federation. Certificate № 016692 as of 20.10.1997.

Certificate № 77-15450 as of 19.05.2003.

© AIR FLEET, 2011 ADDRESS P.O. Box 77, Moscow, 125057, Russia Tel.: + 7 495 626-52-11 Fax.: + 7 499 151-61-50 E-mail: af@airfleet.ru

Tender It’s Dassault Vs. Eurofighter for MMRCA contract in India................60

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Level D flight simulator

for An-148

In many ways the An-148 regional jet is the best piece of technology available from the Russian and Ukrainian aviation industries. It serves as a locomotive for these industries, stimulating their further development, as new versions and derivatives of the already operational baseline An-148-100B become available.

As of the Paris air show 2011 opening, six An-148s are in service with GTK Rossiya operating out of Pulkovo airport of St. Petersburg and three with Aerosvit flying from Borispol airport of Kiev. By Aeroflot standards, there must be 11 cockpit crew members per each airplane. This makes it nearly 100 pilots qualified in the type. This number is growing further as new airplanes come off assembly lines in Voronezh and Kiev. Hence, there is a growing need for a first-class training system.

Ilyushin Finance Co. (IFC) that sells the airplane in Russia and internationally un-

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der agreement with Antonov, recognized that need long before the airplane entered revenue service with GTK Rossiya – the launch airline customer for the Russianmade An-148-100Bs. At MAKS’2007 IFC and Transas signed agreement worth Rouble 600 million (in excess of US dollar 20 million) on development, construction and delivery of a comprehensive set of training means. It includes a computer class, a level D full flight simulator (FFS), a level 3 Flight Navigation Procedure Trainer (FNPT). Besides, the set includes a cabin crew procedural training, but it was

subcontracted to Akko firm that supplies some interior items for An-148s including business and economy class seats. All of the above mentioned components have been installed and now available at the S7 group training center in Moscow Domodedovo airport.

Established in 1990, Transas is the leading Russian specialist in aviation and ship simulators. Its core team is composed of seasoned experts in the field of simulation, notably for the naval vessels. Based in St. Petersburg, the company is in the top three of the world’s ship simulator companies.

Training This place it won in a tough competition with the monsters such as Nor Control, Ships Analytics and Krupp Atlas Electronic.

Transas entered the market for aviation simulators thirteen years ago, with a unit for the Mil Mi-8 helicopter corresponding to A level. This device is still operational with its original customer, SPARK company of St. Petersburg.

Since then the helicopter simulation business has been growing steadily. In 2010 Transas delivered ten helicopter simulators and plans between 20 and 25 deliveries this year. Most of them are for the Mi-8, Mi-17 and their derivatives, but recently the company produced a model for the Mi-26, the world’s largest rotorcraft. Next in the line is the Mi-38, the most advanced of all flying Russian rotorcraft with entry into service scheduled for 2012. Transas is also contracted to integrate an avionics suite for the Mi-38 and the flight simulator as well.

Victor Godunov, general director for aviation programs at Transas, says that up to 90% of all pilots with considerable flight experience failed standard tests of emergency situations when they first tried passing them in a Mi-8 simulator. This statistics is for the SPARK Mi-8 device mentioned above, at a time it just entered service. The standard tests included engine failures and subsequent autorotation landing. “It is passable, but you will not have more than one chance to do it improper”, as the pilots say – that was right before flight simulators appeared. Today, Mi-8 full flight simulators are in a quantity production.

Last year Transas erected a new workshop especially for their final assembly with two pads, one for a 14-tonne-capable motion system and another for a 8-tonne.

These days most of the Mi-8/17 operators going for a simulator favor Transas products. For instance, UTair, the world’s largest rotorcraft operator, has procured three full flight simulators for various models of the Mi-8 and installed them at the company’s training center in Tyumen.

As this issue of our magazine went to press, a newly installed Mi-26T full flight simulator was undergoing acceptance trials in Tyumen.

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Victor Godunov, general director for aviation programs at Transas After introduction of Mi-8 simulators into the training circle for UTair crews, there were no flight incidents involving UTair rotorcraft due to insufficient training of pilots, while previously several incidents occurred in a year. This statement was made by UTair’s head of training at HeliRussia’2011. He added that this change was almost entirely due to the recent addition of the Transas-made simulators.

In order to maintain the high standards of aviation safety, UTair has decided to conduct simulator training for its line pilots on a monthly basis rather than quarterly, a norm in the airline industry as set by aviation authorities.

Having amassed a rich experience in helicopter simulation, Transas went for airplanes. The Beriev Be-200 amphibian jet was the first try. Sadly, it did not go further than a training unit due to financial issues at Beriev. More successful for Tran-

sas were projects on visualization systems for Sukhoi fighter simulators. Next step was the Accord-201 light piston aircraft for which Transas provides avionics set and means of training. More recently, the company developed procedural training for the Boeing 737, and prototypes of the ATR-42 and An-148 full flight simulators – these three were exhibited at MAKS’2009.

That time it became known that Transas is a participant in the Tu-204 simulator program led by SKT. After the good job Transas did on Mil helicopter simulation, it was natural for UTair to order from this company an ATR-42 simulator. And this marked the first case when a global operator ordered a Russian company to make a simulator for a western airplane. The simulator has recently been delivered to the customer and ranked as “level A flight training device”. The elements were facilitating

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timely fulfillment of the respective contract: a tornado damaged a stored airplane beyond repair so it was possible to chop forward fuselage off and make use of the cockpit section in the interests of the simulator program.

At the time Transas started working on the An-148 full flight simulator, it amassed considerable experience with other aircraft types. The 2007 contract with Ilyushin Finance Company for a Level D device was first ever in relation to Antonov aircraft. Furthermore, it was the first one to be ever done by a Russian company for a fixed wing aircraft (while Transas had already achieved that grade for the Mi-8 helicopter).

By mid-2007 the An-148 had been well through its flight test and certification program. Operable prototypes flew at MAKS’2005 and MAKS’2007 and grabbed a lot of attention from airline customers – some of them went to IFC to sign orders and commitments at the shows.

“I love the An-148 for its elegant, esthetic appearance”, says Victor Godunov. “I find it’s a very successful aeronautical design, too”, he adds, “We at Transas believe the project will develop and generate big sales”.

“Personally, I think the An-148 is a very reasonable project with every chance for success in the marketplace. But save me to compare it with other aircraft programs

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further than saying that I like the An-148 more”, Godunov told us when we started an interview with him. Antonov team appeared to be good to work with, – highly professional and experienced in aeronautics design. In their turn, IFC managers were very good at financial, managerial and marketing issues. “They made right decisions at the right time”, the interviewee continued. He specially mentioned the decision of Antonov general designer, at that time Piotr Balabuev, to select Aviapribor Holding as the main supplier of avionics items.

Balabuev also selected many other Russian and Ukrainian firms that were striving to attain competitiveness with their western counterparts. “Key figures that participate in the An-148 project are the right people who know what they want and the ways to achieve their goals. They have a good feel for the economics and try to carry out a clever financial policy that would lead not just them but the whole of the An-148 team to success”, Godunov carries on.

Transas willingly joined the An-148 team. In addition to the means of training, the company also supplies some avionics items including VTs-3 processor, a centerpiece in the VSS-100 system. Work on shaping the full flight simulator began and proceeded at a time when the airplane entered revenue service (in June 2008 with Aerosvit) and started generating profit for the airlines. All that went ion despite

numerous technical, financial and political programs in the way. For a while, pragmatic views on mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and Ukraine in the field of aviation prevailed within the walls of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). This facilitated start of a second assembly line in Voronezh and service-entry of the Russian-made An-148s with launch customer GTK Rossiya in December 2009.

To meet expectations of airlines, Transas opted for best components. It contracted MOOG of US for electromechanical motion system and SEOS of UK for visualization means. From itself, Transas contributes top-level integration skills and state-of-theart visualization software. The central part is a high-class software on imitation of the pilot’s view out of the cockpit.

We asked Dmitry Stepanov, director for marketing and sales with Transas, to provide some comments on it. “Our visualization system provides a high resolution so that trainee pilot can see a very clear and detailed picture, with adequate imitation of the surroundings. Formally, not only our device, but also ones from our foreign colleagues, pass requirements to full flight simulators level D on sharpness and contrast. For instance, the resolution shall be such that it is able to imitate “white on white”, – a high intensity fire on a sunny day in the background of white snow with contrast level 4:1 or better. This is a standard requirement. But there is no requirement that snowflakes be visible when other airplane flies or taxies in vicinity and takes them off ground. Once there are no such requirements, other makers normally do not do this, – and we do! We have developed those and other technologies in frame of our helicopter simulator programs and now apply them to the An148 simulator”.

Normally, visualization systems for helicopter simulators of the top level, in the view of the need to train pilots in making landings, must be very accurate. They are needed to help the crews develop piloting skills with circular error confined to 10 centimeters.

There is one more unique thing for the An-148 simulator as compared to similar

Training devices for Airbus and Boeing airplanes available from Thales or CAE. Transas has access to the topographic data base of the Russian state structures including the state agency for mapping. “We consider this as our advantage, as we can get very accurate data on the Russian territory, and also the files that relate to maps of foreign countries”, Stepanov adds.

The An-148 is a good looking aircraft, Victor Godunov says. To hold the line, Transas made a special effort. “For the first time in our practice we did special design of the dome, so as to give it a pleasing esthetic appearance. I believe the pilots undergoing the simulator training will find it looks attractive”.

In 2010 Transas invited pilots from GosNIIGA, the State Scientific Research Institute of Civil aviation, to try the simulator after it was complete at Transas main center in St. Petersburg, – albeit without a motion system. Airline pilots were also invited. They obliged and came out with remarks. “Most of these remarks have been addressed, and few are still being addressed as we go through fine-tuning”, Godunov says.

In early 2011 the simulator was shipped to Domodedovo and assembled there, now complete with the motion system. Pilots from GTK Rossiya, the launch customer for Russian-made An-148-100Bs, were invited to assess it. Most of them had been

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qualified in the An-148 before and flown the aircraft on revenue passenger services.

Such crews have been “flying” the device for half-a-year already. “Following installation of the simulator at Domodedovo, the airline pilots have been flown it rather intensively and suggesting improvements.

We listen to them carefully and continue improving our system”, Godunov says.

Right now Transas is collecting statistics with help of the airline and industry pilots.

“We did this before with the Mi-8 simulators – we were polishing our models until the flow of comments from pilots dried up”.

The An-148 simulator is installed at the S7 simulator center along with samegrade devices from Thales and CAE on Boeing and Airbus airplanes. This was the decision of Ilyushin Finance Company based on the agreement reached between it and S7 at Farnborough 2010. Being second largest Russian airline, S7 needs to maintain skills of its crews at the required level. This entails a lot of flight simulation.

Training process at the S7 simulator center is streamlined. This facilitates entry into service for the An-148 and the related means of training. Besides, many technicians and pilots have an opportunity to take a look and compare. “It is a good thing that our simulator is located nearby simulators for western aircraft from leading simulation companies. It pleases me to hear comments from pilots who sometimes

find our products same or higher quality”, Godunov says.

We spoke to Transas when the simulator was being readied for qualification tests.

There are many formal procedures that need to be passed before aviation authorities clear the device for use in commercial pilot syllabus. This is because the An-148 simulator is the first level D unit that was ever created it Russia for an indigenous airplane design in accordance with the Doc.9625 standard. Before, Pensa-based KBM produced high-grade flight simulators for the Tupolev-204 and Ilyushin-96, they were not level D. “It was our leading project with IFC in the given area, and in many ways it was a good project for Transas. It does not look that economically attractive as we believed at the beginning. But, obviously, we got only one example now and you always need to pay more for a first copy.

It was clear for us from start that profitability can be achieved only when this simulator begins to sell in quantities. I am very happy that we are nearing the end of the development curve and now have a sympathetic and competitive product to offer our customers”, Godunov says. He added that the simulator owes a lot for its coming into being to IFC. “I send my compliments to IFC general director Alexander Roubtsov as they initiated this project timely and understood the importance of having a full

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flight simulator early for the success of the whole An-148 effort”.

Solvent demand for the An-148 family aircraft from the side of airlines is estimated at between 400 and 600 units. Preparing flight crews for them and maintaining aircraft-handling skills creates a need for some 20-30 full flight simulators. Besides, there are some governmental structures that also seek aircraft of that size and performance. They may want this airplane in special versions, and hence additional need in customized means of training. IFC and Transas are addressing these market needs.

There has been some time shifts in the program, Godunov admits. “In fact, we were making the simulator while the airplane itself was being perfected.

Serious changes have been made to its avionics package. Functionality of onboard systems was being enlarged.

Respectively, we had to alter the mathematics to reflect the airplane hardware and software changes, – we did it ten times. So, it was not possible for us to complete our work earlier. Now, with the An-148-100B having entered quantity production, we are able to finish our part”. In the interim, airline pilots got their simulator training using a flight simulator available at Antonov. Previously it was an engineering stand for perfecting cockpit instruments and later won approval by aviation authorities for airline pilot training. Although that device was not perfect,

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GTK Rossiya crews found it a useful tool when they were undergoing in-type training at Antonov.

It is important to notice that the An-148 training package also includes a level 3 Flight Navigation Procedure Trainer (FNPT). Although this sort of devices is well down the league, and does not match the Level D unit in quality of visualization and in sound emulation, not even mentioning piloting techniques, it does allow a trainee pilot to practice a good number of exercises. Boeing calls it “flat panel training”.

Modern FNPT devices feature large touchscreens. Transas offered such a device for the An-148 when talks with IFC were being held – the offer was accepted.

FNPT allows pilots to undergo considerable part of syllabus, and thus take some load off a level D simulator. It is reasonable, from the financial point of view, to use the level D only for those procedures that cannot otherwise be set. Practice says that 60-70% of all necessary training procedures can be done on FNPT. Complementing a full flight simulator with three or four FNPT is a good practice, Transas says.

It allows the system to provide training for more pilots at a given cost.

In terms financial, making and maintaining an FNTP and a level D simulator differ by order of times. This is because the full flight simulation requires expensive visualization and motion systems, and also a sturdy, solid construction. Besides, instruments have to be same quality with

real airplane’s. So, it makes a lot of sense to send a trainee for FNPT before he goes to full flight simulator – and he does when he is almost qualified in the type and need only a little more of practice.

Transas and IFC are in talks on an FNPT for the An-148-100E, a new version with English-language cockpit. One can get available within 3-6 months. Whereas a full flight simulator requires at least 12–14 months to be built. This is largely determined by availability of vendor items.

Such as motion system that has long lead cycles and often paid for a year ahead of delivery.

Now, with the An-148 training package ready and receiving positive comments from airline customers, Russian companies start thinking of creating similar sets for western airplanes. The Russian ministry for transportation has a vast program for new simulators and funding for it. The program calls for creation of modern means of training in all major aircraft in the Russian fleet, both indigenous and imported types.

Transas has been a favored bidder in competition for a 737 full flight simulator.

If respective contract is own, this will move Transas deeper into competitive environment of the global aviation market.

“Transas already works in a highly competitive environment, in presence of well established aviation simulator producers. We firmly intend to expand our presence in the global market”, Godunov says. Today, CAE and Thales are a stable duopoly in the marketplace, but will it last long? Some clients say they do not like CAE’s policy of selling means of training and, at the same time, offering training services. In a sense, the maker competes with its own clients. Sometimes comments are heard on Thales that it is not always flexible in marketing and sometimes inflates prices. So, there is some space for the aggressive Russian companies that have amassed some expertise in training and making means of training. IFC and Transas believe they have good chances to become serious players in the global aviation market.

By Vladimir Karnozov

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– Cool exercise, isn't it?

– Yes, nice firing range!

Lybian test site for European fighters Against the background of the successful offensive of the Libyan forces combating rebels, on March 17, 2011 the UN Security Council resolution 1973 was adopted. Under the resolution, a no-flight zone was introduced in the airspace of Libya and permission to use any means of protection of the civilian population except occupation troops deployment was obtained. Both American and Europen military forces seized the oppotunity. Moreover, it was a good chance to show their air arsenal at work...

Having adopted the UN Security Council resolution, the countries concerned initiated the operation. It is worth mentioning that the resolution assumed its quite liberal interpretation. That is why when by the second half of March it had become clear that the rebels had been suffering defeat, the NATO countries along with their allies began an air offensive mission to combat the Libyan armed forces. Originally, prior to March 31, when the overall air operation command was taken over by NATO, air strikes against positions of the proGaddafi forces were conducted within of such operations as the Odyssey. Dawn (the US and a number of other NATO countries), Ellamy (the United Kingdom of Great Britain), Harmattan (France), Mobile (Canada). Following March 31 the air campaign was being conducted under the NATO Unified Protector (began

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on March 23), and national campaigns became its components.

On behalf of NATO the United States, France, Great Britain and Italy played the leading roles in the air part of the operation. Other NATO countries (Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain) taking part in the mission confined themselves to 4-6 combat aircraft each (mainly F-16s and F-18s as well) and one or several service support aircraft (airlifters, tankers, airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) and patrol aircraft).

Compared to the NATO military campaigns against Yugoslavia in 1999 and Afghanistan since 2001, the conflict’s feature is a relatively moderate role of the United States, which can be explained by political ends. It is caused by a willingness to highlight the NATO European

countries. However, it did not prevent the U.S. from deploying its most numerous forces at the early stage. Among traditional participants in the US military operations the В-1В (2) and В-2 bombers (3), the А-10 attack aircraft (6), the AC-130U gunships (2), the Е-8С command post and target acquisition aircraft (3), the EA18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft (5), the Global Hawk strategic unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicles (SUARV) and MQ-1B Predator attack UARVs deserve special mentioning as the European NATO members’ air forces does not possess their analogues.

Therefore, in a number of aspects the U.S. is playing a key role in the air campaign against Libya, namely to support the NATO aviation by delivering massive sea-launched cruise missiles strikes on Libyan air defense targets; to support the

War

allies’ activities by ground target ISR and electronic warfare aircraft; by the use of long-range strike aircraft. In addition, the US forces are seen as a reserve in case of unpredictable circumstances in the region.

It must be mentioned that the US F-15Е has been by far the only coalition aircraft fallen in the Libyan territory. This took place on March 22 at the very beginning of the operation.

The leading NATO countries (except Germany that refused participating in the air campaign) have deployed more numerous aviation contingents compared to Belgium and Spain. The data flow dynamically depending on the progress of the operation. Thus, in the early stage of the operation France and the UK which

encouraged the foreign intervention in Libya employed the air assets forces as follows: The French Air Force and Navy (the carrier air group (CAG) of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier) used 18 Dassault Rafale land-based and naval fighters, 12 Mirage 2000 aircraft, 6 Super-Etendard naval attack aircraft, 2 Mirage F1CR reconnaissance aircraft, 6 С-135 airborne tankers and Е-3 и Е-2 AEWC aircraft, the 160G electronic intelligence aircraft and the aircraft carrier support helicopters. In addition, the Tonnerre assault ship’s helicopter air group (of the second Mistral-type ship) as part of 13 Aérospatiale Gazelle, 4 Eurocopter Tiger (other sources cite 2 ships) and 2 Eurocopter Puma (or 4) helicopters have operated since early June in the Libyan airspace.

Compared to other European countries the next biggest aviation contingent was furnished by the UK. Its major forces are 12 Tornado GR4 strike aircraft and 10 most sophisticated Eurofighter Typhoon fighters that made their operational debut in Libya. Apart from that, there has been used a number of support helicopters, such as 3 Е-3 and 2 VC-10 tankers. Following the example of France, Britain has been employing the Ocean amphibious assault ship’s air group since early June. Its main part consists of 4 WAH-64 Apache, 3 Lynx and 2 Sea King helicopters.

Within the framework of the joint operation, Italy’s primary mission is to provide its air bases. The Italians have allocated 8 Tornado IDS’s, 4 Tornado ECRs, 4 Eurofighter Typhoons.

In addition to the North Atlantic Alliance members, a contingent of a number of states is taking part in the air operation.

First of all, the Arabian states are represented by Jordan employing 6 F-16MLUs, Qatar with 6 Mirage 2000-5EDAs and 2 С-17, and the United Arab Emirates operating 6 F-16E/F Block 60s and 6 Mirage 2000s. Bearing in mind that the participation of the states has rather a limited contingent than a symbolic character (as in case with operations against Iraq) and is dictated by politics, it did not avert the irrecoverable loss of the second coalition F-16 aircraft while landing at the Sigonella air base on April 27.

Apart from the contingents from the Arabian countries, the participation of

It must be mentioned that the US F-15Е has been by far the only coalition aircraft fallen in the Libyan territory. This took place on March 22 at the very beginning of the operation A I R F L E E T

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significant role too. Despite Germany not the Swedish contingency should be menparticipating in the air operation, the Brittioned too (8 JAS 39 Gripens, a Saab ish and Italian Tornados are a vital com340 AEW&C aircraft and a C-130 used ponent of the group of aircraft operating as a tanker). Sweden is taking part in the in Libya too. The British aircraft fitted with operation not only duto political reasons, but due to marketing ones as well with the the sophisticated MBDA Brimstone airlaunched antitank guided missiles are one end to promote its JAS 39 Gripen fighter the primary coalition means to destroy on the international market, especially agile military hardware of the loyalists. bearing in mind that its main competitors There is a need to point out that the mili(Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16E/F tary debut of the Brimstone guided missile Block 60) are participating in the opstarted in Libya and that their successful eration too. However, if the French and use will have a positive influence on the European fighters are combating ground market prospects of the weapon. targets and are subject to the danger Apart from the 4th-generation aircraft posed by Gaddafi’s AD, albeit minimal, that are traditional for NATO operations, the Swedish are carrying out safe combat the air campaign against Libya is also air patrols. characterized by the active use of GenerTo sum up the information on the air component of Operation Unified Protector, ation 4+ and 4++ aircraft. It is a safe bet to say that in the skies of Libya a secret the conclusions as follows can be drawn competition for the market place among up. As is in previous NATO operations the Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon и JAS 39 conducted in cooperation with European Gripen is going on. It is only natural that member-states, the F-16 and F-18 are the mass media are regularly highlightthe main workhorses. The Mirage 2000 ing impressive destruction of the enemy (both French and Arabian) is playing a

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targets by the up-to-date fighters. For the moment, being operated as the main attack component of the French force, the Rafale looks more effective. In March, it won the laurels as the savior of Benghazi.

The French fighters are also employing the most advanced Armement Air-Sol Modulaire / Air-to-Ground Modular Weapon (AASM).

There are far fewer chances for the Swedish fighter to make an impressive performance. Due to political limitations imposed on the country, the Swedish aircraft are carrying out air patrol that are less informative than engagement of Gaddafi’s tanks or multiple-launch rocket systems, captured by on-board cameras.

On the other hand, unlike the Rafale or Eurofighter Typhoon, the fighters have nearly no chances to be downed by the loyalists fire and hit the headlines in the form of a wreck.

The Eurofighter Typhoon positively differs from its rivals in its potential ability to use the Brimstone antitank guided air mis-

War The NATO forces need combat helicopters to fight effectively against pinpoint moving targets under conditions of close coordination with the ground forces of the rebels with a view to minimize the so-called ‘friendly fire’. sile in the Block 15 advanced multi-role step 2 configuration, which is of particular importance in fighting armored vehicles and trucks of the enemy. The effectiveness of these military operations can be partially illustrated by the massive use of these guided missiles by the RAF’s Tornados. These capabilities are of a particular importance if the Libyan loyalists change from the classic military tactics to the highly mobile Toyota War. In addition to the Air Force, Navy and Army Aviation components of the airborne operation, one should bear in mind cruise missile strikes by US and British warships and submarines. In addition to being aimed at the Libyan air defense, the strikes are meant to support manned and unmanned aircraft of the participants in the operation.

Mention should be made that since Libyan aircraft demonstrates no appearance in the sky, the effectiveness of various combat aircraft taking part in the NATO operation can be estimated only in terms of attack systems designed to engage ground targets. In addition, the Libyan air defense’s obsolescence, operability problems of its systems combined with active proactive fires have created the perfect environment for NATO’s support and combat aircraft operating outside the AD coverage of the enemy the hothouse conditions. Antiaircraft assets, which remained unquelled (antiaircraft artillery, man – portable SAM weapons) because of a limited coverage area, pose no threat to NATO aircraft (except heliA I R F L E E T

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copters) operating at high altitude. Analysis must these facts take into account as under other combat environment conditions the effectiveness of the aircraft could prove to be much lower.

On the other hand, a serious factor of influence on the effectiveness of aircraft use by the operation participants is considerable distance of their air bases from potential targets. Thus, targets in Ajdabiya, Brega or Misrata are located 5001500 km away from the coalition bases on Sicily, Sardinia, Crete and Corsica, let alone the continental France and the UK. This necessitates a considerable number of air tankers and drop tanks, decreases the war load and time of patrolling, increases the duration of air missions and, as a result, reduces their potential number and increases the workload on the crews.

It is not reasonable to draw a conclusion regarding the effectiveness and advantages of any aircraft operating in the conflict, taking into consideration the weakness of the enemy in Libya.

The French aircraft debut was made on March 19 when the French aviation and its most advanced Rafale fighter attacked

Gaddafi’s forces at the approaches to the rebel-held “capital” of Benghazi. 8 Rafales, 2 Mirage 2000-5s and 2 Mirage 2000Ds took part in the first combat sortie. The results of the first offensive combat missions were stunning. In the course of several days, the triumphant army of Col. Gaddafi began a massive retreat from Benghazi to Ajdabiya 160 km south of the rebel capital and further on. The total length of the retreat was nearly 500 km within 10 days. In Benghazi the proregime troops were forced to leave a considerable amount of military hardware, partially hit by NATO aircraft while the other part suffered only minor visual damages. Rebels captured some of the equipment in the operating condition.

A French Air Force officer taking part in the NATO operation was quoted as saying: ”At the very last moment I was assigned to perform the mission. It lasted for 7 hours. A lot of people were engaged in the operation which took a long time.

Aviation tankers based at Istra made it possible for us to join the operation zone and retreat to France afterwards. To provide navigation the E3-F AWACS radar aircraft was used which also was capable of detecting air – to- air and surface – to - air threats. Other fighters we were cooperating with also had a mission to detect and engage enemy targets.

We were trainded to be on high alert in the shortest time possible: having received

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the mission to combat objectives, we took off four hours later. This was a result of a close cooperation among preparation and planning units, reconnaissance aviation groups and engineers maintaining our aircraft “.

The Typhoon fighters of the RAF commenced their combat carrier on March 22 as fighters patrolling the airspace in the area of operations. As a strike fighter, the Typhoon, which first was used on 12 April to engage ground targets, did not produce significant results compared to its rival, the Tornado, due to the lack of Brimstone guided missiles. Nevertheless, the fighters succeeded in killing a number of moving targets with guided bombs.

A Royal Air Force pilot who carried out the first operational Typhoon aircraft strike on a ground target has been describing the mission: “We’d been tasked to Misratah in the West of Libya, which is pretty much a city under siege, with significant numbers of attacks against the civilian population from pro-regime forces. We were looking along one of the main supply routes in Misratah when we came across a compound with around 10 – 15 main battle tanks in. We reported our findings to the command and control assets we work with and shortly thereafter, were cleared to engage. At that point, we generated coordinates for the targets and dropped weapons. Each time we assessed the likely weapon effect and whether there would be any collateral damage implications. It was a precision attack from a significant altitude. To be honest, I was a little bit nervous but you just revert to the training you’ve done before. I’ve

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dropped a significant number of weapons from the Typhoon in training. It felt no different from that, only this time I was even more relieved to see the bomb go exactly where it should have done, in the Litening III image displayed in my cockpit.

We have proven that the jet can carry weapons a long distance, drop them accurately, land and get pumped full of fuel, reloaded with weapons and go and do it again, day in day out. That makes this capability enduring, and while it may seem like a milestone to some, it’s just a hurdle that had to be overcome at some point. It has been done, and we will drop more over the life of the aircraft. I think people are just pleased we’ve got the first one out of the way”.

On April 23, the Libyan sky saw the appearance of US Air Force MQ-1B Predator unmanned aerial vehicles fitted with the Hellfire ATGMs. The employing of UAVs was needed to partially compensate for the relatively modest capabilities of the manned aircraft of the coalition forces to eliminate pinpoint moving targets. Due to remoteness from their air bases, coalition aircraft had little time for patrolling and were fitted with a limited war load. A previous positive experience of the UAV employment to hunter enemy off-road vehicles in the Middle East and Afghanistan, gave the grounds for the hope that the MQ-1B Predator’s use will be a success. However, unlike previous examples, the Libyan target is not a single or several vehicles; the question is how to engage a considerable group consisting of armored hardware, artillery, off-road vehicles and lorries, only a few of which can be destroyed by an unmanned aerial

vehicle because of its small ammunition load. The use of more powerful MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles is seen to have future.

On June 3, _British and French combat helicopters joined the operation. Although it is not the right time to come to any conclusions on the effectiveness of their use, one can assume that the British AgustaWestland WAH-64 Apache helicopter will be the most credible. The can be explained by the fact its main rival, the Eurocopter Tiger, being currently operational, is not equipped with ATGMs, which prevents it from demonstrating its combat capabilities in full. The NATO forces need combat helicopters to fight effectively against pinpoint moving targets under conditions of close coordination with the ground forces of the rebels with a view to minimize the so-called ‘friendly fire’. On April 7, NATO aircraft already destroyed a rather large rebel armored unit vic. Ajdabiya. On the other hand, the employment of helicopters significantly increases the hit probability, as it provokes them to operate within the coverage area of the mass AD weapons (SAM/AAA systems, AAA, man-portable SAM launchers) of the pro-Gaddafi units. The threat posed by the latter can be reduced by the tactics of using helicopters at night, when the effectiveness of the antiaircraft assets decreases substantially.

In addition to the two types of combat helicopters, the Aérospatiale Gazelle, which makes up the basis of the Tonnerre amphibious assault ship, is taking part in the operation too. It is worth mentioning that she carries helicopters fitted with both the HOT ATGM and 20-mm guns. Ana-

War lyzing the prospects of further employment of helicopters, it is of particular interest to compare the venerable Gazelle equipped with ATGMs and the more sophisticated Tiger fitted with guns and FFARs only. It is plausible that the Tiger possessing up-todate search equipment will play the leading role in a Gazelle package.

During the debut of NATO’s combat helicopters in the Libyan conflict, the British Apache helicopters delivered strikes on checkpoints and radars in the vicinity of Brega, while French Gazelle and Tiger helicopters engaged mobile assets and command posts of the forces loyal to Gaddafi. The French were reported to have destroyed 15 vehicles and five command and control centers on the first day of the operation.

The intermediate results of the operations conducted from March 5, when NATO took over OPCON of the coalition operation, to 5 July are as follows.

There have been conducted 9,917 sorties, 3,752 of which have been attack ones.

On the average, it accounts for 56 attack air missions per day, 30% of them performed by the French forces. In addition, a considerable number of strike missions were carried out as part of local national operations prior to their merger into Operation Unified Protector. The total number of attack missions flown in late March reached 100 sorties per day. Moreover, this period saw a massive use of cruise missiles.

1,800 targets are reported to have been destroyed, of which 100 have been command and control centers, 700 storage facilities and 500 armored vehicles and artillery systems. The reliability of the information is yet to be proved. The NATO forces suffered loss of two aircraft – a USAF F-15E and a United Arab Emirates F-16 lost to a technical fault.

A number of intermediate conclusions can be drawn up despite the fact that the air operation against the Gaddafi regime has not been over yet. The attackers have demonstrated their ability to deliver strikes on targets located far from their air bases for a long period of time. A large fleet of air tankers makes it possible. Modern tacA I R F L E E T

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Jabrail Kidiki Chief Air Force of Libya

tical fighters have shown high operational capabilities while engaging mobile targets not covered by effective AD systems.

It will make it possible for manufacturers to capitalize on the results of the strikes to promote their weaponry on the international weapon market. The Generation 4+ Eurofighter Typhoon and JAS 39 Gripen fighters made their operational debut in Libya. Their French rival, the Rafale, which had been operated by the NATO forces in Afghanistan and in Libya, had become the French’s main striking force.

Evidently, the very fact and concrete examples of their participation in the opera-

tion will become a subject of marketing efforts, including those to be taken as part of the Indian tender for light fighters to meet the requirement of the Indian Air Force. With a certain element of overestimation one can say that in the Libyan sky there has been on a competition among Eurofighter Typhoon and Rafale fighting for the right to enter service with the Indian Air Force. The positive features of the two fighters are their long operational radius and considerable war load. The pictures of joint raids performed by the two aircraft are very characteristic – the Rafale was pictured carrying an impressive array of weapons while the Mirage 2000 fighter had a moderate war load. In this context, the European and French fighters are in the same class of heavy fighters the Su-30 and F-15E belong to.

The Libyan military campaign made it possible for the Franco-German Eurocopter Tiger helicopter to show off its operational capabilities to prospect customers.

However, the limited capabilities of its unguided weapons pose an obstacle to giving an objective vision of its capabilities and increase the risk of combat losses, which could affect _sales of the helicopter.

In general, the NATO campaign in Libya has become another proving ground for advanced aircraft and air-launched weapons, as the alliance’s other similar operations were.

By Vyacheslav Tseluiko

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Engines

Motor Sich: Past, Present and Future Zaporozhye based Motor Sich JSC, which in 2007 celebrated its centenary, is one of the largest manufacturing outfits, which has an integrated cycle of the advanced aero engine development from marketing studies, engine design, and manufacture to engine in-service support and overhaul.

Quality and reliability of the engines manufactured by Motor Sich JSC is proved by their successful operation in more than 120 countries all over the world.

100-year period of its activity and now it collaborates successfully with leading airplane and helicopter plants from CIS countries, the Russian Federation, and countries world over.

The initial period of Motor Sich JSC history was closely related to French aircraft companies that merged in the postwar period to found Snecma company. Also, in the 1920s, it was the licensed manufacture of Hispano-Suisse 8FB (M-6) engine followed by acquisition of the license from Gnome-Rone company to produce Bristol Jupiter VI (M-22) and Mistral Major 14K (M-85) engines.

It was the continual effort on developing a number of superior power engines based on 14К engine family, with their power being within the range of 850 h.p.

(14К engine) to 2000 h.p. (М-90 engine), which contributed to making the plant designers’ team currently represented by both Motor Sich JSC designers’ team and designers’ team of Ivchenko-Progress Design Agency, the globally famous designer of aero engines. In 2007, Motor Sich JSC and Ivchenko-Progress Design Agency consolidated their efforts and merged into Ivchenko Scientific Production Association Corp.(Ivchenko Corporation).

TV3-117VMA-SBM1V Vyacheslav A. Boguslayev Chairman of the Board of Directors, Motor Sich JSC Motor Sich JSC follows the policy of partnership and mutually beneficial cooperation. Therefore, now this company participates in Paris Air show, the most globally prestigious one.

Motor Sich JSC Quality Management System meets the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 international standards, which was confirmed with the Certificate by Bureau Veritas Certification.

The company has gained respect and prestige among its customers over a

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Engines

An-148

Now, the range of Motor Sich JSC engines commercially produced, as well as those at various development stages, for passenger and cargo aircraft covers turboprops and turbopropfans of 400 to 1,4000 h.p., and by-pass engines of 1,500 to 23,400 kgf as well, with D-436-148 engine to power An-148 passenger aircraft family among them.

The engine is the latest version of D-436T1 engine. It meets ICAO emission requirements and ensures silent An-148 operation, with its noise level being lower than enforceable standard. The engine is not inferior than foreign competitor products in terms of its performance.

Motor Sich JSC has developed AI-450-MS two-shaft gas-turbine auxiliary power unit (APU) for various An-148 versions and other passenger and cargo aircraft powered by D-436 family propulsion engines. The APU ensures propulsion engine start and supplies the aboard systems with compressed air and electricity should propulsion engines be inoperative.

Increasing importance of combat air force makes great demands both on training newly comer pilots and keeping up pilots’ flight skills in fighting troops, as well as on training them to use aviation weapons. Thus, trainers and operational trainers stand high in Air Force of any country.

Aircraft performance is determined by its engine performance to a large extent.

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Ivchenko Corporation has dealt with developing and manufacturing engines for trainers and operational trainers for 80 years.

Currently, over three thousand trainers and operational trainers powered by Motor Sich JSC gas-turbine engines are operated in 40 countries.

Following the tradition, Motor Sich JSC and Ivchenko-Progress Design Agency develop AI-222 family engines jointly. The

engines can provide the maximum thrust within the range of 2,500 to 3,000 kgf and 5,000 kgf with the afterburner installed.

Now, Motor Sich JSC along with Moscow-based Salut MMPP FGUP, Russia has launched commercial production of AI-222-25 engine of 2,500 kgf thrust for Yak-130 operational trainer that is supplied to pilot training centers of Russia Air Force.

D-436-148

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Engines

Mi-24

Flight display at various Air Shows evidences that combined with superior Yak-130 aircraft aerodynamics, AI-222-25 high- performance engine ensures maneuvering aircraft performance corresponding to the 4th or 5th generation fighters. Thus, we hope that military experts will choose Yak-130 aircraft powered by AI-222-25 engine as the best possible solution for their Air Forces in various countries, as this superior trainer will allow pilots to acquire and keep up skills in piloting advanced combat aircraft.

AI-222K-25 engine version without the afterburner and AI-222K-25F engine version equipped with the afterburner are intended for a two-engine trainer currently developed by Hongdu Aviation Industrial (Group)/HAIC Corporation.

In 2007, the Type Certificate was granted to Motor Sich JSC for TV3-117VMA-SBM1V engine designed by its designers.

The engine has been designed to improve helicopter performance and combat effectiveness when operated at high altitudes in the countries with hot climate. The engine meets high operational requirements, with its total life being 12,000 hours/12,000

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cycles and time before the first overhaul being 4,000 hours/4,000 cycles.

TV3-117VMA-SBM1V engine power settings have been effectively adapted to operation conditions on various

MS-500V

helicopter types. The engine automatic control system makes it possible to adjust engine takeoff power to 2,500; 2,400; 2,200 or 2,000Â h.p. when the engine is tested at Motor Sich JSC test bench; TV3-117VMA-SBM1V automatic control system ensures its flat rated power up to higher environment temperature and higher flight altitude compared with TV3-117V engine family versions available, including VK-2500 engines to power Mi and Ka helicopters.

In 2007, TV3-117VMA-SBM1V engine was successfully tested in the thermal pressure chamber situated in TsIAM, Russia to determine engine key performance and its ability to have its rated power flat at high altitudes and temperatures, and to evaluate operational performance of engine and its systems. When testing, the engine provided stable start up to the altitude of 6,000 m and stable operation at the altitude of 9,000 m within the whole environment temperature range that could be encountered in operation.

On 5 September, 2007, the Aviation Register of Interstate Aviation Committee (AR IAC) granted the Type Certificate to Motor Sich JSC for its

Engines TV3-117VMA-SBM1V propulsion engine.

Currently, carried out by Motor Sich JSC along with the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, TV3-117VMA-SBM1V engine state bench testing is under way, as well as preparation to flight test of Mi and Ka type helicopters powered by TV3-117VMA-SBM1V engine in Russia.

Concurrently, continual efforts are undertaken by Motor Sich JSC designers to upgrade the engine by integrating new technical solutions into engine design. First of all, it concerns engine automatic control system that is going to be replaced by advanced FADEC control system developed by Start Ltd, Perm, Russia. Using this advanced digital control system will bring to further helicopter and engine performances enhancement.

Invaluable 100-year expertise in manufacturing aero engines has enabled Motor Sich JSC to accumulate a wealth of experience in working with customers to provide engine technical maintenance for the whole time of their operation. The company keeps in

AI-450-MS

An-158

touch permanently with its representatives worldwide.

This company also has accumulated wide experience in working with foreign

customers both from CIS countries and countries word over; it can offer a wide range of brand-new products for cuttingedge promising engines for fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.

Manufacturing durable, reliable, and user-friendly products that meet fully customers’ requirements is our main goal. We aspire to cement the current positive image of Motor Sich JSC as a well-established and dependable partner.

Motor Sich JSC 15, Motorostroiteley Avenue, Zaporozhye, 69068, Ukraine Tel.: (+38061) 720-48-14 Fax: (+38061) 720-50-05 E-mail: motor@motorsich.com; eo.vtf@motorsich.com http//www.motorsich.com A I R F L E E T

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Engines

Aeroflot learns

to fly Superjet

The Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100), in the form of an operable prototype, is, one more time, the major Russian exhibit at a big international event, in this case the Paris air show 2011. Less than two weeks before show opening, Aeroflot took delivery of its first SSJ100 out of thirty airplanes on order.

This machine, MSN97008, is expected to start revenue operations this month.

Two weeks before that the manufacturer – Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC) – published initial operations results for the MSN97007 in service with Armenian Airlines. In the first calendar month of revenue service, the airplane performed 66 flights in which it covered a total distance of 85,800 kilometers and carried 2,885 passengers. The number of flight hours amounted to 168. Armavia commenced SSJ100 passenger operations on 21 April 2011, by replacing an Airbus

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A319 with the new Russian type on the route between Zvartnots of Yerevan and Sheremetievo of Moscow. On first revenue flight, the SSJ100 flew with full cabin, carrying 96 passengers. With that, the manufacturer stresses that the first deliverable SSJ100 commenced revenue service in an extremely short period of time – merely two days after the official delivery on 19 April 2011.

By now the only Superjet at Armavia’s disposal has been seen at Sheremetievo,

Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports of Moscow, as well as at the airports of Odessa, Donetsk, Simferopol (all three in Ukraine), Larnaka (Greece), Aleppo (Syria), Venice (Italy), Teheran (Iran), Rome (Italy), Tel-Aviv (Israel), Beirut (Lebanon) and Lion (France). Sukhoi insists that no failures having impact on the airworthiness were registered during the whole period of operation. “The SSJ100 perfectly fits Armavia fleet, containing mostly CRJ200, A319 and A320 aircraft. Owing

Aircraft “Aeroflot management prepares a petition to the Russian government on implementation of sanctions against SCAC for delays with delivery of the first SSJ100 aircraft to the national flag carrier”, said Levitin, who at that time headed Aeroflot’s Council of directors to high economic efficiency and good operational capabilities we can schedule the aircraft both to regional and to shorthaul routes – basing on current passenger load per each flight”, commented Mikhail Bagdasarov, the man who owns Armavia.

There is one more quote provided in the press release by the manufacturer. “It is a great aircraft and it allows intensive operation already at entry into service. Both crew and passengers receive only positive impressions. The aircraft is easy and comfortable to control, the cockpit is quiet and allows effortless communication between pilots. The cabin is spacious and comfortable too, the passengers do not have any difficulties while boarding or placing their baggage. Wide aisles provide the opportunity to serve food and beverages with maximum comfort even during short flights.

The passengers can easily pass the flight attendant by while he is serving”. These words are attributed to Armavia’s SSJ100 crew chief Sergey Kharatyan.

But not everything goes well for the program. It suffered over three year delay to the original delivery plan. Furthermore, series airframes appear to be heavier than expected, and deliver to airline customers with a short lifetime on them. This fact is not something of the ordinary: many other aviation programs also went not as they were originally planned. Insiders in Sukhoi admit the shortcomings but insist the airplane is “curable” and thus does have some future prospects in the global marketplace.

Different people may have various opinions. Russia’s minister for transportation spoke of sanctions against SCAC. A I R F L E E T

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The SSJ100 manufacturer, the ministry for transportation and the launch customer appear in a heated dialogue over aftermath of the aircraft deliveries to Aeroflot.

The airframe MSN97008, which will bear official registration RA-81901, first flew in January this year, and then underwent a lengthy period of manufacturer’s trials before being handed over to the intended customer in the first week of June 2011.

“We discuss the terms of delivery with Aeroflot management in a friendly manner”, SCAC spokeswoman said. SCAC says it understands completely the difficulties that may be met during the operational trials and initial revenue operations on the brand-new Russian aircraft type. But notice that the launch customer was given a hefty discount which shall well cover the possible difficulties at the early stage of flight operations.

An insider in Sukhoi further said that the difference between the promised figure and actual fuel burn for the SSJ100 customer-specified typical cruise mode comes is confined to 1-3%. He said that the actual fuel burn is about two tons per blockhour, while another source in SCAC gives exact figure: 1,959 kg. But the discount for the purchase as launch customer was very high. By comparison, the Airbus A318 with similar passenger capacity is offered at US dollar 65.2 million according to Airbus official price-list as of January 2011.

Meantime, Aeroflot says it has prepared enough cockpit, cabin and ground staff to commence SSJ100 revenue operations as soon as first airplanes is delivered and proper registered with the civil aviation authorities. Initially, the SSJ100 will fly

Igor Levitin revenues services daily between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Other destination is Nizhny Novgorod with respective schedule service opening in early June, initially with the A319.

In this background of more or less concerted SCAC and Aeroflot actions, the words said by Russian minister for transportation Igor Levitin look strange and aggressive. He told Russian media on Friday 15 April about sanctions to SCAC. “Aeroflot management prepares a petition to the Russian government on implementation of sanctions against SCAC for delays with delivery of the first SSJ100 aircraft to the national flag carrier”, said Levitin, who at that time headed Aeroflot’s Council of directors. Here are the words that the minister said: “We need to act according to how Aeroflot will be accepting these airplanes from the manufacturer, knowing that the promised delivery times had past. Besides, Aeroflot has questions to the [airplane’s] technical performance.

Aeroflot management prepares its views for submission to the council of directors and then to the government, regarding fee sanctions [against the manufacturer]”.

According to December 2005 contract on 30 SSJ100s between Aeroflot and SCAC, first delivery was initially planned for 2008. But later this date has been several times “corrected” during negotiations between SCAC, Sukhoi and UAC on one hand, and Aeroflot on the other, under

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Aircraft “The SSJ100 perfectly fits Armavia fleet, containing mostly CRJ200, A319 and A320 aircraft. Owing to high economic efficiency and good operational capabilities we can schedule the aircraft both to regional and to short-haul routes – basing on current passenger load per each flight”, commented Mikhail Bagdasarov, Mikhail Bagdasarov supervision of the Russian government. In 2009 Aeroflot said it gave up the idea of sanctions in return for easing import terms for Airbus A330 widebodies.

The above written provides some background to the main part of this story, about Aeroflot preparations to the SSJH operations. The Russian flag carrier has six its instructor pilots qualified for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) regional jetliner.

They obtained their certificates in the last day of March this year. These pilots went through a 1.5-month-long in-type training at the manufacturer’s Moscow offices and the flight test base in Zhukovsky. They will handle the MSN97008 on the initial passenger services inside Russia, and training of line pilots to the new type.

Aeroflot placed a firm order for 30 SSJ100s in December 2005, thereby accepting the role of the type’s launch customer, sharing it with Armavia that ordered two.

By Aeroflot standards, there must be 11 pilots per airframe. This constitutes a need for 330 cockpit crew members in 2014, when all thirty deliveries are expected to be complete.

The six pilots have been selected very carefully so as to provide high flight safety standards in the absence of a full-flight simulator (FFS). Instead, an engineering stand with some flight simulator functions has been using for some training, – the one is available at Sukhoi’s. The manufacturer says this unit has been qualified

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the man who owns Armavia.

by Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsiya as Level 5 Training Device and is used to simulate various flight regimes, including critical. Using this device, coupled with huge experience of the selected pilots in the A320, enabled them to proceed to actual flying of the SSJ100 development prototypes (msn97005).

Aleksander Miroshnichenko, head of Aeroflot cockpit crew training, says he is not worried by the lack of SSJ100 simulator training since the pilots selected are seasoned A320 instructors, and the A320’s and SSJ100’s information fields and control systems are broadly similar.

“Both aircraft have a sidestick and a glass cockpit on LCDs. Thanks to the similarity of these types, A320 pilots will master SSJ100 with no problem. I say this without any hesitation”, Miroshnichenko stated.

The Phase II of the SSJ100 crew training will see the six instructors teaching

younger and less experienced pilots, some of whom might have never flown a narrow body Airbus. Flying for these pilots will be made not from Mikhail Gromov’s Flight Test and Research Institute (LII), as in the case of Phase I, but from Sheremetievo airport of Moscow, the main base of the Russian flag carrier and the aerodrome near the city of Ivanovo. The capital airport is very busy, and its use will be confined to practicing nocturnal operations, since Ivanovo is poorly equipped for night landings.

For those line pilots who come from A320s, the conversion program will take 2.5 months. “Now, many things are done on real aircraft since the flight simulator is not ready yet”, says Director of Aeroflot Aviations School (AAS) Stanislav Tulsky.

A Honored Airline Pilot of the Russian Federation, Tulksy and his AAS colleagues have been very busy recently setting up

Aircraft newly delivered equipment for SSJ100 training and preparing syllabuses for Aeroflot cockpit and cabin crews, as well as technicians and maintainers that will handle the SSJ100. The airline has already commenced training of cabin crews, technicians and maintainers, he says. Since the A320 and SSJ100 are broadly similar in systems architecture and design philosophy, the training syllabuses for both types are purposely unified.

In March Aeroflot took delivery of a procedure training device for teaching cockpit and cabin crews how to disembark the airplane in normal and emergency landing situations. Called the ASP simulator (ASP is Russian acronym for Emergency, Escape, Rescue Procedures), it represents a cylinder section of the fuselage equipped with doors that can be open or dropped – and preconfigured before a training session to simulate a particular emergency.

Aeroflot runs emergency, rescue and escape drills simultaneously involving cockpit and cabin crews who learn how to coordinate their efforts in various situations. Facilities of the airline’s Training Center at Sheremetievo-1 include a special device representing a fragment of the Il-96 airframe on moving platform. It enables the crews exercise rescue operations after simulated emergency landing with a broken landing gear. “The cockpit and cabin crews need to coordinate their actions in conducting a proper evacuation of passengers and themselves, – which is very much a challenge and therefore needs developing special skills”, Tulsky says. Albeit using Il-96 hardware, this simulator is a must-go for all Aeroflot crews.

Various door types are available here for drills, including those from Airbus narrow and wide bodies, Boeing 767, Ilyushin-96 and Tupolev-154. Besides, there is a water reservoir where evacuation from ditching airplane and using rafts are practiced.

ASS offices at the village of Melkisarovo in the vicinity of Sheremetievo airport have classes for cabin crews, for their theory (at computers) and practice. There are two classes, for widebody jets (sized to the Ilyushin-96) and narrowbodies (A320).

Lectures and computer programs are A I R F L E E T

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Stanislav Tulsky

“Everything is sized and placed as in a real airplane. I saw nothing of the sort in the rest of Russia and training centers in foreign countries I have visited. When shaping these classes and equipping them we tried to use every bit of experience available round the world”, Tulsky says immediately followed by drills: trainees practice in a cabin fragment with seats, overhead baggage compartments, galleys and kitchens – real things as in airplanes. “Everything is sized and placed as in a real airplane. I saw nothing of the sort in the rest of Russia and training centers in foreign countries I have visited. When shaping these classes and equipping them we tried to use every bit of experience available round the world”, Tulsky says.

A new addition to Aeroflot’s vast training

facilities, ASS was open in March this year. It was built from scratch to highest standards and makes use of world’s best practices. In the 1990s and beginning of this century Aeroflot had been learning from the west. In particular, from Boeing, Airbus and dedicated schools with leading European airlines, such as Lufthansa Flight Training (LFT). Later, the airline hired LFT classes and devices to conduct drills for Russian trainees under control of Aeroflot own instructors.

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Aircraft Comparing the SSJ100 to the A320, Sergei Bodrov noted that “the Sukhoi is better trimmed in yaw, bank and pitch channels”, and “handles better with one engine out, with the automatics doing all necessary compensations” “Now we do everything in house, in a belief that AAS is the best school in Russia and one of the best in the world”, Tulsky says. Personally, he has undergone “several cycles of the learning curve” in the west, starting in 1991. “Since early 1990s I and my seasoned colleagues, now AAS managers, have consequently mastered the Airbus A310, Boeing 737 and 767, A320 and A330”. They came to Toulouse with considerable Tu-154M experience and later added that in the Il-96-300, – the only local type in Aeroflot inventory today.

Tulksy adds some personal details to this point: “I underwent training in the 767 and 777 at Boeing in Seattle, and in the A320 and A330 at Airbus in Toulouse.

My school uses western experience my colleagues and myself amassed in the past twenty years – we have accumulated experience of over ten foreign training centers and fused it with our own. I believe these twenty years of learning will pay off.

We have amassed necessary skills, and, more recently, got hold of some superb training equipment, – the whole range of training devices. Now we run an aviation school that prepares good cabin and cockpit crews, and does that on a very competitive basis”.

ASS instructors have many personal friends among their foreign colleagues especially at Airbus. “They visited us recently and said they got deeply impressed and pleased with this school”, Tulsky says.

Cooperation is now focusing on perfecting A320 and A330 syllabuses. “When you get all necessary equipment in place, instructors and their methodical approach to training becomes priority number one.

It is impossible to prepare an airline pilot

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without good devices, and yet it is the instructor who does the teaching”.

The Soviet Union had a vast and well structured pilot training system, but it largely collapsed in the 1990s. Sharp drop in passenger traffic rendered many pilots out of work, forcing them either change profession or go places such as Africa. Now, with the Russian economy on the rise, the national air transportation system recovers and feels growing need in airline pilots.

Russia has only one flight school in the state-run system, in Ulianovsk. A good school with traditions and pride, Ulianovsk increases output of pilots. In 2010 it graduated 82 pilots, while accepting 200 trainees. Its capacity has been growing thanks to measures being taken by the Russian government, Ministry for transportation and Aeroflot. The Ulianovsk High Flight School is narrowly focused on initial training in aircraft handling skills and navigation. It has agreement with Aeroflot that the airline’s instructors participate in the training process at Ulianovsk. Aeroflot accepts Ulianovsk graduates and carries out in-type training at the airline’s own centers.

Normally, ASS will make a second step for a young person under 35 willing to become an A320 or a SSJ100 pilot with a multiply pilot license (MPL). After amassing a bit of flying experience on piston aircraft at Ulianovsk, – about one-third of the requisite flight training – the trainee goes for in-type training for the A320 and/or Superjet 100.

On insistence of Aeroflot, Ulianovsk is adding the Diamond DA42 twin engine airplane to the undying Yak-18T, a single engine piston airplane which has introduced to flying several generations of

Sergey Bodrov Soviet and Russian airmen. The Yak-18T is good as a screener and ab-initio trainer, while the DA-42 is largely intended for introduction of pilots into the world of the glass cockpit and the art of crew resource management (CRM). The latter is about coordinated actions by captain and copilot during flight.

Aeroflot has a compact DA42 flight simulator without motion system and considers adding one more. Tulsky says the Euro 230-thousand device has proved its worth during 3 years of service. “Our choice made 3.5 years ago was right, as we feel improvement in pilots’ skills after flying DA42 simulator. This airplane is simple and with a glass cockpit, which makes it easier for the trainees to proceed for the A320”.

Today, Aeroflot training capacity is 160 pilots a year: this includes new pilots (after Ulianovsk) and type conversion – mostly those who jointed Aeroflot after leaving other airlines where they flew a Boeing 737 or an old Soviet aircraft. This figure shall remain in 2015, but all graduates will be new pilots graduating with MPL. The existing FFS inventory has capacity just enough for 160 pilots each with 80 flight hours.

To become an A320 second crew member, an applicant must have CPL which requires 250 flight hours. Tulsky says: “We train such applicants in the A320. We developed unique skills of preparing A320 pilots with such a limited

Aircraft flying experience, – few schools in the world do this. And we do this with good quality: our graduates pass Aeroflot exams and meet Airbus requirements. However, we modified training programs that Airbus suggested, to take care of peculiarities of our entrants and our airline”. Aleksander Miroshnichenko adds: “Aeroflot has been taking deliveries of new A320 series aircraft new from the factory since 2003.

Their number has risen from 18 initially to 69 and will rise further, to 82. With that, we have amassed huge experience, since the vast majority of Aeroflot pilots qualified to the Airbuses at the airline’s won training center.”

Aeroflot makes extensive use of maintenance and flight training devices. There is one of touch-screen type that allows trainees to master A320 procedures and checks and use of navigation equipment, and get acquainted with work of various systems in the cockpit, including navigation FNGS. The A320 pilot syllabus includes 9 sessions each lasting four hours.

The training in the A320 is done in English, and so the Superjet. “Although it is a Sukhoi, the airplane has a lot of western systems. Besides, this airplane is intended for sales to foreign airlines. All this commands English”, Tulsky explains.

Computer based training (CBT) is carried out in dedicated classes, after one hundred hours of lectures. The CBT class is run by seasoned Aeroflot pilots Valery and Nikolai who were in the first Aeroflot group in Toulouse for training in the A310, the first western type with the airline. Their class is equipped with four Superjet 100 “kiosks” seating eight crew members, and sixteen for Airbus norrow bodies. Provision is made for possible enlargement of these, but the given numbers are sufficient for time being and foreseeable future. Software package is ready, installed and tuned.

“The concept of Superjet training is similar to that of A320”, the class masters said.

After 2.5 months at Melkisarovo, the trainees will spend 1.5 months at Sheremetievo-1 undergoing simulator training.

There are four FFS at Aeroflot training center there: two A320s, an Il-96-300 and a Tu-154M, although the latter type A I R F L E E T

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is no longer in Aeroflot inventory. Plans call for more, with the space available at Sheremetievo-1 enough to place eight FFS. Aeroflot is looking forward to having a 787 simulator, which is an essential part of the aircraft delivery contract with Boeing.

At the same time, purchasing a 777 FFS looks unlikely since Aeroflot has on order only eight airframes, – not enough to justify it. Chances for an A330 FFS are more optimistic, as ultimately Aeroflot may have more than 11 units, which is a break-even point for a simulator.

The Il-96-300 unit is the best illustration for Aeroflot dedication to full flight simulation. It is one of the kind in the world, a beloved and demanding child for Aeroflot, in which the airline invested a lot of its own funding. It has undergone a series of modernizations and now features a modern visualization system and an electrical motion system. The device has been upgraded to Level D and allows conducting aerodrome training using FFS. It comes with a rider that aerodrome training is only run for pilots with flight time on glass cockpit airplanes (the big Ilyushin is such) exceeding 1,000 FH. Less experienced crews undergo it on actual aircraft for the sake of higher flight safety. Crews of other Il-96 operators, including the Presidential Air Detachment and Cubana de Aviacion, undergo Il-96-300 FFS procedures at Aeroflot training center.

The A310 FFS has recently been dismounted to empty place for a SSJ100 FFS. According to initial plans, Aeroflot was scheduled to take delivery of a SSJ100 FFS in late 2011. Aeroflot had to have a second-built SSJ100 FFS, after Sukhoi Superjet International’s training center in Venice. Now it is likely that the airline will get the very first one. Tuning in the new-

est A320 FFS with electric motion system took eighty working hour in ten calendar days. “I anticipate the SSJ100 device will not require longer time for tuning, since it is provided by a good maker who previously supplied us with A320 FFS”, Miroshnichenko says.

The SSJ100 FFS is being created by Thales UK as part of the larger 20062007 deal package between Thales and Sukhoi. Although the FFS development schedule has been revised several times, Sukhoi insists the original contract is still valid and shall be fulfilled. Meantime, Aeroflot considers CAE a preferable supplier, which may have consequences.

The FFS for Superjet 100 will be same grade as the latest A320, and correspond to D level. With its installation, the syllabuses for the SSJ100 and A320 will become “identical”, with same overall duration. “If the SSJ100 FFS gets installed and tuned in August, and we start pilot training on it immediately, then these pilots will be ready to fly SSJ100 in November”, Miroshnichenko said. In real life everything will depend on time of actual deliveries of the airplanes and the simulator, he explained.

Tulsky assumes a more cautious attitude to timing and syllabuses. “There is nothing special for us in mastering the Superjet.

Until the SSJ100 FFS is not in place, we will continue to populate SSJ100 cockpits with experienced A320 pilots. As soon as the simulator is available, we will start training of new pilots without A320 experience, and it will take us three months to get them qualified”. Another source in Aeroflot said the Superjet operations will start “three to four” months later, “as soon as” the msn97008 delivers and commences flying with the airline.

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Aircraft While EIS time suggestions differ, all Aeroflot sources speak in unison as far as their own role in crew preparations is concerned. “I tell you: we are prepared and got everything to prepare enough pilots timely so that newly delivered Superjets will not stay grounded”, Tulsky insists. How many pilots will the second SSJ100 cockpit crew group have? He does not give a precise figure in the following answer: “we will perform so as the number of qualified pilots always matches the number of aircraft available. We have made our calculations, so that when an airplane comes to us and gets accepted, it will not stay on the ground”. Another source expects training of the second pilot group to commence “two months from now”.

To stay competitive, Aeroflot training divisions have to watch costs, and the expenses for FFS in particular. One such unit is averagely priced at 12 million dollars while Aeroflot pays for a new SSJ100 a mere US dollar 17-18 million, after all discounts available for the launch customer. Miroshnichenko says: “Naturally, the bottleneck is the availability of full flight simulators. When speaking about numbers of newly qualified pilots, one should always remember the need to maintain skills of earlier rated pilots. Although we have two A320 FFS, one is completely devoted to simulator checks of the existing A320 crews”.

Wrapping up, Tulsky highlights importance of improving the existing training system, pending SSJ100 entry into service and high-rate production of the type being planned. The Russian economy is on rise, and so its air transportation and aircraft manufacturing.

Stressing this, he says: “Our contribution to that is: we give clear vision of the future to the young men who want to be a Superjet pilot. We offer them a two-year training program on Aeroflot’s account that they will repay in five years flying as a co-pilot with our airline, 80 FH a month on average. These are good and fair terms, attractive to both sides, so we expect a positive outcome”. He further stresses that the A320 and SSJ100 syllabuses are intentionally made similar, allowing wide application of the pre-

cious western technologies mastered in Russia for the benefit of a domestic aircraft manufacturing program.

Interviews with the SSJ100 qualified SSJ100 pilots sound encouraging for the manufacturer. They say they like the airplane, and in their view, the Superjet is “built well and flies superbly”. “It handles similar to the Airbus narrowbodies. The Sukhoi has controllability reminiscent of the A319 and is as flyable as the A321, which is a good cross”, says Oleg Engels. His colleague Igor Treibert added: “During training flights the angle of attack peaked at 25-27 degrees, at which the airplane demonstrated that it is safe to fly thanks to well-done flight controls and envelope protection system”. Comparing the SSJ100 to the A320, Sergei Bodrov noted that “the Sukhoi is better trimmed in yaw, bank and pitch channels”, and “handles better with one engine out, with the automatics doing all necessary compensations”.

The pilots said their training course included 24 hours on the SSJ100 simulator without motion system. They then proceeded to actual flying on the SSJ100 prototype 97005. Each trainee pilot amassed eight flight hours in some fifteen missions under guidance of the Sukhoi test pilots. As mentioned earlier all six speak highly of the Superjet and see no obstacle that may prevent the Russian flag carrier from commencing revenue services soon after the airplane delivers and cleared for operations by the aviation authorities.

By Vladimir Karnozov

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Engines

A380:

the tool for market dominance Later this year the A380 is coming to Russia, for MAKS’2011 airshow in August. The world’s biggest passenger jet comes to the world’s largest country by territory – this seems to be a very symbolic case.

Firstly, the A380, after 3.5 years of revenue service and a difficult initial operations period behind it, is now mature enough. Secondly, the Russian air transportation system – comprising airlines and airports – are now mature enough to operate large widebody jets. Thirdly, the A380 is a natural replacement to the aged Boeing 747-200 and 747-400 operated by Transaero (passenger versions) and Volga-Dnepr group (freighter variants in service with the groups’ Air Bridge Cargo).

The A380 has been to Russia already, on a promotion tour. As of June 2011, the giants have visited 130 world’s airports – this number includes Moscow-Domodedovo.

Today, 37 hub-cities concentrate 92% of the long haul air traffic – each of those destinations serve more than 10,000 daily long haul passenger flights. Sadly, there are no Russian cities among them. But they should be, taking account of Russia’s human resources and geographic location at the crossroads of the world.

The international air traffic continues to grow. The current forecast predicts further rise at a rate of 4.8% annually over the next twenty years. Also predicted is that in 2030 the number of the big hub-cities will reach 82, and the Russian capital will be one of them. With congestion and slot issues press-

26

ing, the use of the A380 seems inevitable – and logic – solution for the Moscow Air Knot.

There is one more interesting point. Over two hundred business jets, including some converted Boeing 767s, Boeing Business Jets and Airbus Corporate Jetliners belong to Russian owners or companies that serve interests of the New Russians. These people are known as very demanding customers wanting the best flying toys available elsewhere. Some of them are looking at the A380 with same sparkles in the eye as does the Saudi Royal family members.

Roman Abramovich, a Russian tycoon, has been many times named as a possible candidate to have a giant airplane. Some journalists even suggested, referring to the information coming from the informed

inside circles, that he was offered an operable A380 prototype by Airbus for further conversion into a VIP jet. By nature of the top-class chronicle, this is all gossiping, especially after the first A380 VIP buyer presented himself by his own will. The operable prototype Airbus offered to VIP clients was sold to Prince Alwaleed bin Talal at the Dubai 2007 show. It will serve the Prince as the Flying Palace.

The airplane destined for the Saudis is the MSN02, one of the five instrumented prototypes Airbus constructed for the A380 flight testing. This airframe is now sitting on the Station 30C in Toulouse, undergoing conversion into a production configuration.

The work shall complete by the end of 2011 and is rather difficult as it involves removing some test equipment and sensors in hard-to-

Aircraft access zones. Previously, a pair of “lightly instrumented” test aircraft were placed with Emirates after reworking .The heavy instrumented MSN01 and MSN04 are still with Airbus, with the former to be used for testing A350 motors.

But who is going to be a second customer for VIP-configured A380? “Normally the VIP customers do not announce who they are”, says John Leahy, the Airbus chief salesman. If that second customer appears to be a Russian oligarch, he may facilitate introduction of the A380 into the local market.

The A380 is not the only suitable platform for “Flying Palace” sort of usage. There is Boeing 747 also. The US maker has sold some thirty 747s to VIP customers. So, there is a competition. I asked John Leahy how he looks at this. “I think the A380 has excellent prospects in the VIP market. It is a category for heads of state and the rest who want the biggest, most comfortable and longest range aircraft. Boeing has done very well selling 747s into the VIP market. Up tilПроверитьl this point it has been the 747, but we laid a new brick on the block. If you want the largest airplane, the most comfortable airplane, the airplane with the longest range, it is going to be the A380. It has not got a high volume, but it is an important market to us”.

In the primary market sector, that for very large capacity passenger transports, the A380 is competing with the 747-8I model, the recent mutation of the 40-year-old Jumbo. Airbus claims 90 to 10 distribution of sales between the A380 and 787-8I taking account of only firm orders placed by airlines and publically announced by them. As of January 2011, the ratio was 233 against 25 in favor of Airbus. The 747-8I won a launch order in 2006. Only three years after that Boeing found a second customer.

The simple reason is that the 747-8I does not deliver like the A380 does, according to Airbus.

Most airlines are Ok with the standard performance charts put into the A380 Technical Review of 2006: 560ton maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) and 8,000nm range with 525 passengers. It also applies to the 49-th deliverable airplane that went to Korean Air on 24 May 2011. By perforA I R F L E E T

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mance, this airplane is able to fly “close regional routes” from Seoul to Bangkok, Hong Kong and Narita, and also “transpacific services” to LA, San Francisco and New York. Furthermore, Korean Air also plans to employ it on the services to Paris and, possibly, other European destinations.

The A380 payload-range capability is impressive. “We did not play any magic”, says Richard Carcaillet, Director, A380 Product Marketing. He attributes the airplane’s high performance to the benefits coming from the extensive use of advanced technologies. The airplane features most advanced engines from Rolls-Royce (Trent 900) and Engine Alliance (GP7200), new lighter and smaller systems. Flight control architecture with two electrical two hydraulic circuits found on the A380 against a previous standard with three hydraulic circuits – this reduces weight considerably and also volume.

Advanced construction materials – more than 25% in the A380 airframe – reduce structural weight. State of the art aerodynamics is another advantage of the A380.

For the big Airbus the takeoff distance is shorter than that for the 747-400 despite the former being 40% bigger – this is due to the high quality of the A380’s modern aerodynamic design. Airbus believes the A380 is “generation and a half” behind the venerable 747. “After the long Boeing’s monopoly we produced an all-new, game-changing aircraft”, Carcaillet concludes.

Starting from 2013, the A380-800 is go-

ing to be available with optional maximum takeoff weight of 573 tons against current 569 tons, and offer maximum range of 8,300nm. Touching on the earlier limitation of 560 tons, Tom Williams, EVP Programs, refers to “natural conservatism” of his engineers. “We are not redesigning the airplane, but getting more out of the [standard] airframe to benefit our customers”, he explains.

This will enable the A380 to fly some more long haul services. This has been “the key factor to win some campaigns and satisfy wishes of our customers”, says Carcaillet.

Reportedly, Emirates sought to fly Dubai to ALX, while other airlines also thought of long transpacific routes.

Boeing, on the other hand, does not seem to be offering payload-range capability that would satisfy many airline customers.

Whereas A380 operators confirm their new airplane is 20% more fuel efficient than the 747-400. The – 8I version was supposed to be 15% more efficient than its predecessor, but… The following statements are based on market intelligence in relation to 747-8I technical performance. Basing on this market intelligence, Airbus says the 747-8I has a 15% higher fuel burn (earlier estimation 8%), “range shortfall” and 19% higher cost per seat (earlier estimation 14%) compared to the A380-800.

The heaviest-option A380 has a range with full cabin of 8,300nm, against the early Boeing promise of 7,800mn for its 747-8I and the more likely 7,400nm as it became known recently. Airbus estimates that the

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Aircraft 747-8I “has a risk” of having a 15% higher the engine maker for improvements in fuel per seat fuel burn (compared to 8% as burn of its engines. believed earlier) than the A380. Meantime, But as it appears from the market intelthe European giant has proved its promise in ligence, not just engines but also weight and airline service of 20% higher fuel efficiency aerodynamics shortfalls contribute to the that the Boeing 747-400. In particular, fact that the 747-8I underperforms. “You Singapore Airlines has confirmed the 20% cannot get much from a 40 year old design. reduction promised by the manufacturer.

At some point it reaches the limit”, Carcaillet “The 747-8I does not meet the promise at says. Perhaps the most obvious disadvanentry into service”, Carcaillet says. In partage is a very low advance material content ticular, the range shortfall is a serious conin the airframe, at 2-3%, some people say. straining factor for some airlines that seek Boeing has been talking about a new replacement for the ageing 747-400. “I will wing, but as far as we know it offers same not give names of airlines that wanted more lift-to-drag ratio as the previous version of than Boeing offers. These airlines bought the legendary, but venerable aircraft. It the A380 because it offered year-round full seems the guys from Seattle have not done payload operation that they did not have any static tests on the “new” wing, – at with 747-400. We discovered and verified least, nothing has been reported about the this, being able to check in the marketplace”, very fact that this so-called “new wing” had Carcaillet insists. Poor than expected fuel actually been subjected to static testing. “So efficiency for the 747-8I makes a real difit can not be a new wing cause with new ference on a number of routes, and this is wing you’ve got to do a new static test on a factor explaining why Boeing salesmen it”. In the flight tests Boeing encountered are having much difficulty in finding more significant flutter problems. “They are workcustomers for that aircraft. ing around to suppress it – not eliminate it No doubt, the 747 has made its mark physically, but suppress it with an active in the history of aviation. But it has been control system”. around for more than thirty years. “It would Passengers and airlines that are flying the be very said to see the last model of this A380 say the airplane has the best cabin legendary airplane a failure. Definitely, at in the skies today. The A380 was designed the entry into service the last model of their for the comfort of the passengers quite aircraft does not meet the promises. But consciously whereas the 747 was born as Boeing keeps saying it does”, according to a freighter, or, better, the military air lifter Carcaillet.

– although it lost USAF competition to the On several occasions Boeing people Lockheed C-5A Galaxy. From the airlifter were quoted in the press and sounded as proposal the 747 inherited the fuselage though the General Electric motors on the cross section that has not changed over the 747-8I does not deliver what Boeing wants years. from them. At least, Boeing has been asking In fact, the 747-8I is a minimum derivative

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design that gives nothing on the cabin. It has same door distribution as on the 747-400.

The newer version is a stretched aircraft, and so it is supposed to be bigger in terms of seat number. But it possibly cannot have more seats than the 747-400 as it comes from certification documents, – this is because of certain certification requirements.

As a result, revenue generation capability is affected.

Maintenance cost is another very significant element for airlines. Advanced technology found in abundance on the A380 results in more reliable systems. Overall, the A380 brings about a step-change in cost efficiency to the airlines. Airbus calculated that Singapore Airlines get US$7.9million savings per year and get nearly 27,000 extra profit seats from replacing the 777300ER by the A380 on Singapore to Paris route. Air France says it save Euro 15million per year and per aircraft after replacing its A340 and 777 by the A380 on the CDG to JFK service.

Although the A380 and 777 fall in different subclasses of the widebody transports, people sometimes compare one to another.

The 777 is a lot noisier in flight than the A380, and offers 18.5-inch seat backs – same as in the A380, but this only if the 777 cabin comes in nine-abreast layout. At the same time, many airlines prefer ten-abreast seating so as to improve efficiency of the Boeing jetliner. This decision narrows the seat backs by an inch, and thus reduces passenger comfort.

From the early A380 operations experience Airbus finds that it is the opinion of economy class passengers that drives the load factors. The A380 is very quiet in flight, has wider seats and pleasing cabin interior.

When the A350 XWB and the 787 appear, they will not beat the A380 in terms of noise.

Higher profitability to airlines and good flying experience with passengers – because of these two things the A380 has been generating high load factors. This is known as “the A380 effect”.

There is a well known difference in the air transportation market views of Boeing and Airbus. The US maker believes in point-to-point travel, while Airbus sees “no fragmentation, not decreasing frequencies,

Aircraft Tom Enders: “It is good to see that the WTO has fully green lighted the public-private partnership instruments with France, Germany, Spain and the UK”

but traffic growth”. The history tells us that the air traffic doubles every 15 years. “We are talking about accommodation of that growth probably without increasing the existing frequencies. That’s makes big aircraft necessary”, Carcaillet says.

This decade was not easy in the terms of the world economy. But despite that, the air traffic rises. One year of traffic growth in this decade is the same as a decade of the 1970s, when the 747 entered service. Today, 90% of the airline traffic goes to or via 30 biggest hub-cities, and the A380 serves 11 of top 15 airports. In future, Asia-Pacific will become the biggest region in terms of the air traffic and its growth. Hence, there is a growing need to connect Asia-Pacific cities between themselves and to major cities in Europe and Americas. Cities are magnet for economic development and, therefore, air traffic. Hub-to-hub is a very efficient way of distributing traffic. The A380 is not a tool for consolidation, a tool for growth.

Since entry into service 3.5 years ago, the A380 fleet has been steadily growing in numbers. And this was in a difficult time when the world came through SARS, local wars, recession and world-wide crisis.

Some airlines have achieved and maintain 99% reliability on the A380, while the fleet average is just about 98%.

Airbus gears up A380 production to meet the growing demand. As of early June, 79 customer aircraft went through wing to fuselage join-up in Toulouse, 26 aircraft are in the final assembly process.

Deliveries are gradually picking up, from 18 in 2010 to the target figure of 25 for 2011. As of 1 June, Airbus delivered eight aircraft and proceeds at two monthly. In A I R F L E E T

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the last two years the final assembly cycle has been reduced from 14 to 10 months.

This trend continues through small process improvements, better timing with suppliers and higher productivity of the employees people as they master the assembly process.

Starting in 2012, the monthly production rate shall rise to three. China Southern with five Trent-powered airplanes on order expects delivery of its first pair before the end of 2011. Malaysian and Thai will start getting airplanes next year. Airbus intends to repeat the two-new-operators-per-year practice in the coming years.

The A380 is yet to have a big victory in the US. ILFC is no longer an A380 customer, as the leasing firm changed its mind and went for more narrow bodies.

Airbus attributes this to “re-setting priorities in the period of crisis”, and prefers to speak about “not a cancellation but a business recovery measure”. Airbus says it talks to two US carriers but so far there are no names or time suggestions when these negotiations can result in a contract.

Speaking to journalists at the Airbus delivery center in Toulouse, Airbus main salesman John Leahy reminded he sold ten more giants this year: “I’d like we sell as many as we deliver, so I am looking for at least one more customer and twenty airplanes sold this year”.

Today, Rolls-Royce’s market share is 57% and Engine Alliance’s 43%. The latter powers 15 A380s delivered to Emirates (out of 90 on order), 5 Air France (12) and one Korean Air’s (10). Powerplant is said to contribute up to 35% of the A380-800’s US dollar 375.3million sticker price. As a result of the QF32 incident, there were many questions to Rolls-Royce regarding the Trent 900 engines. The British manufacturer has managed to convince its customers to stay and introduced a number of improvements to the Trent series. “We do not see any shifts to

Engine Alliance”, says Tom Williams, while noticing that the competition is very strong.

“Our airline customers benefit from it, and Airbus benefits as well”, he added.

Airbus calculated that average seat load factor for the Singapore Airlines A380 has been 83%, higher than for the rest of the airline’s fleet. The airline refers to the A380 as the Queen of the skies, the title that was previously with the 747. As of early June 2012, the A380 has won 234 orders. Certainly, the big airplane is changing the ways of people’s travel. The airlines realize that the A380 is the aircraft they need to have to follow the market development.

WTO dispute (instead of epilogue) After breakup of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union, and following transition of China and Russia from command to market-driven economies, the market demand for civil aircraft started to change dramatically. The Russian brand name manufacturers Tupolev, Ilyushin and Yakovlev, as well as Antonov of Ukraine, lost their market shares and sales of their airplanes dried up. Meantime, the solvent demand for passenger liners has been increasing, thus giving the US and European makers a unique change of expanding their market presence. In 1992 the US and EU reached agreements – the gist of those was that the two sides agreed to unlimited support of their manufacturers. By so doing they

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Aircraft

Roman Abramovich, a Russian tycoon, has been many times named as a possible candidate to have a giant airplane. Some journalists suggested, that he was offered an operable A380 prototype for conversion into a VIP jet created most favorable conditions for the North American and European industries to rapidly expand production of commercial airplanes in order to fill the gaps in the market. At the turn of the century this immediate target was achieved: Airbus and Boeing forged so-called “duopoly” in the market for commercial airplanes.

So far so good for the United States. But then the things started to go wrong for them: airline customers tended to prefer Airbuses to Boeing products. This fact made some the White House to think that the 1992 agreement was more favoring Airbus. The politicians, lawmakers and marketologists commenced a search for the cause of this unpleasing situation in a given direction. In 2004 the US formulated their claims. They said that Airbus

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received governmental aid for some US dollars 20 billion on very favorable terms.

In 2005 the US applied to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and initiated the biggest dispute ever seen in the walls of this international organization. In its turn, the Europeans replied with their own claims against Boeing saying that the US maker benefited from the multi-billion Pentagon and NASA contracts by using technologies developed in the course of these programs in the sphere of commercial aviation. Since then the US and Europe have been locked in a hot dispute.

In 2010 the WTO issued reports on its findings. In particular, they found that Boeing got some US dollar 5.3 billion of prohibited governmental help in the form of subsidies not permitted by WTO rules.

In May the US representatives calculated that during the forty years since its foundation, Airbus received from the European governments some US dollar 18 billion on very favorable terms. This helped the European maker develop all of the existing Airbus jetliner models. The US representatives insist that without this strong governmental backing, Airbus would have never succeeded. But Airbus did benefit and this helped it surpass Boeing in terms of sales and deliveries of

commercial jets in 2003. In the middle of May 2011 WTO issued one more report in which most of the US claims have been rejected (WTO Appeal Report on Large Civil Aircraft subsidy case against Airbus DS316). Airbus’ President and CEO Tom Enders provided the following first reaction to the report: “This is a big win for Europe. We are pleased with the results. Congratulations to the EU for managing the case so successfully and winning on all key elements. It is good to see that the WTO has fully green lighted the public-private partnership instruments with France, Germany, Spain and the UK. We now can and will continue this kind of partnership on future development programs”. The WTO report released constitutes a strong blow to the Boeing-sponsored myth that government support to Airbus somehow caused harm to Boeing. The WTO has now confirmed definitively that government loans are a legal instrument and that none of the government loans made to Airbus over the past 40 years were prohibited. It also reaffirms that, contrary to Boeing’s repeated assertions, the subsidies did not cause any material injury to Boeing. “It’s time for Boeing to accept this legal defeat and end the masquerade. The WTO confirmation of the European loan system is a big victory for Europe,” said Rainer Ohler, Airbus’ Head of Public Affairs and Communications. “We see no significant consequences for Airbus or the European support system from today’s decision, as the WTO has now fully and finally rejected most of the US claims. Therefore, the WTO findings are likely to require only limited changes in European policies and practices,” he added. The WTO Appellate Body rejected all of the arguments made by the US during the appeal and sided with the EU. The final result further improves on the already substantial rejection of US claims at the first stage in 2009 and now rejects 90 percent of all US claims. It also marks the end of the road for Boeing’s quest to stop European government partnership with Airbus.

By Vladimir Karnozov

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION EXHIBITION

For the first time EVER! Jet Expo 2011 will be held at a unified site – Vnukovo-3 airport

WE DEVELOP THE SHOW. WE THINK ABOUT OUR CUSTOMERS. WE DON’T STOP.

WELCOME ONBOARD

September 14 – 16

2011 www.jetexpo.ru

Engines

Continuous development

is the keystone of success

Russian Corporation VSMPO-AVISMA, one of the world’s largest manufacturer of titanium, increases its production output and intensively develops its own production in anticipation of market recovery.

Mikhail Voevodin, the Director General of VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation tells about outcomes of 2010 and short-range plans of corporation.

■ question: What are the main financial outcomes of 2010 for Corporation?

How would you describe and estimate the dynamics of their changes compared to last year of crisis?

■ Answer: In 2010 Corporation VSMPO-AVISMA manufactured 20.7 thousand tons of final titanium products that is 10 % higher than set values and 5 % higher than in 2009. The net profit of corporation has increased by 3.4 times as compared to that in 2009 and equals 588 mln rubles. Revenue of VSMPO-AVISMA was 24.7 billion rubles in 2010.

Share of sold products with high degree of processing (die forgings, disks, rings)

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has increased in 2010. This trend is a practical result of the investment program and will evolve in future.

Analysis of sales revenue for 2010 showed a slight decrease in its level compared to 2009 – less than 5 %. This trend is common to all export-oriented enterprises and reflects the impact of the depreciation of American dollar.

At the same time, it should be noted that company costs are denominated in rubles and strongly influenced by inflation, which has exceeded 8 % by the end of 2010.

However, successful management of production costs made it possible to

achieve profitable growth in profits in 2010 as compared to 2009.

■ q: What are the values of short-and long-term debt of company at present?

■ A: Since mid-2009 and throughout 2010 the Corporation has provided financial program to optimize the credit portfolio. The main work streams in the construction of financial strategy were: decrease in amount and cost of borrowed money, the optimization of the maturities and availability of security.

We managed to achieve the following results in 2010: The total amount of borrowed money is decreased from 21.6 billion rubles at the

Metal beginning of 2009 to 15.6 billion rubles at the beginning of 2011 or by 28 %.

The average interest rate on borrowed funds is decreased up to a level of 5 %. This result was achieved by reviewing the approach to formation of the credit portfolio in the context of currencies. Borrowed funds in rubles (which deposit rate was over 14 % per annum) have been replaced by dollar credit lines (deposit rate of 5–6 % per annum). A large-scale work on the refinancing of credit portfolio in order to attract more cheap credit affected the rate decrease.

Average maturity of borrowed money is increased from 10 to 20 months, which made it possible to neutralize the torque amplitude fluctuations in the repayment of credit portfolio and to ensure a smooth depreciation of credit lines.

Currently, almost the entire credit portfolio is an unsecured mortgage that also improves the economic sustainability of Corporation.

■ q: Earlier, the experts noted the substantial amount of idle production capacities due to economic crisis which affected the implemented plans to expand production. What is now?

■ A: For 2010 capacity utilization of titanium segment was about 70 %. Total production of titanium products of Corporation has increased by 3.7 % in 2010 compared to 2009.

Considering the fact that currently the largest aircraft manufacturers have resumed their development and production programs, VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation are also expecting production growth in 2011–2012.

■ q: What are Corporation plans for the development of long-term collaboration with manufacturers of aircraft and aircraft engines? Who are the new customers of Corporation in this field?

■ A: Long-term contracts are a certain guarantee to minimize the risks, both for suppliers and consumers of titanium alloys. And both of them have the ability to predict their development for a sufficiently long period. Thus, in recession period, many customers have reduced the volume of purchased products, but companies working on the basis of long-term agreements, kept the minimum volume of orders agreed A I R F L E E T

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In 2010 Corporation VSMPO-AVISMA developed 20.7 thousand tons of final titanium products that is 10 % higher than set factors and 5 % higher than in 2009 in contacts, ensuring that capacity utilization of Corporation. VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation has long-term contracts with major consumers of the aerospace industry for 5 years or more, about 70 % of exports are shipped under the terms of the longterm contracts. Long-term portfolio of orders: Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, Goodrich, Messier Dowty, Eurocopter,Liebherr, Rolls Royce, Safran, Pratt&Whitney Canada, TEST, BTI etc. Currently, 5–6 projects of long-term contracts are being discussed.

■ q: Do you plan to change the structure of export deliveries and deliveries to the domestic market for some industries?

Why? ■ A: Corporation is a vertically integrated manufacturer of a wide range of products of titanium and its alloys. One of the main elements of VSMPO-AVISMA corporation strategy is development of the product portfolio, which includes extension of the range of supplied products and improving service for customers.

Since the late 90s VSMPO has been consistently implementing the strategy

of increasing the share of exports die forgings in its release. In 2010, VSMPO supplied more than 400 codes of die forgings for export, and this number is increasing as VSMPO actively participates in all new aircraft programs. We have a very close collaboration with our key customers on development of new unique products, alloys and technologies to expand the use of titanium in their structures and improve the economic efficiency of aircraft and engine.

The next step in the last few years was the transition from delivery of die forgings to the delivery of parts with rough machining. Currently VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation increases the number of equipment for machining that allows delivering parts with the rough and prefinished machining.

Nowadays, VSMPO delivers over 1,000 codes of die forgings to domestic market. Changes in structure of supplies to the domestic market is mainly due to new air and energy projects in Russia. Corporation actively participates in developing parts for the future of advanced long-haul aircraft MC-21. In addition, corporation supplies

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the turbine blades having length of up to 1,300 mm for nuclear projects of Nuclear Power Station, and works out the turbine blades having length of up to 1,500 mm.

In order to increase the production, corporation completes the production of new product – precise bar of a small diameter and wire in the U.S. Such products are in great demand in medical and aviation (fastening) industry. With the commissioning of this production we hope to fill this gap in the line of products of VSMPO-AVISMA which is intended for the manufacture of medical products and fasteners, and provide ourselves the opportunity to enter a new business with products of smaller range and greater accuracy of incoming stock.

A new rolling mill, which makes it possible to expand the range of seamless tubes used in aircraft hydraulic systems,

has been put into operation at VSMPOAVISMA tube plant in Ukraine.

■ q: What prospects for exports are now in markets of China, India and the Asian region as a whole, where you are actively working in new directions for Corporation?

■ A: The Asian region as a consumer of titanium products has a great potential.

Economy of Asian countries is ahead the U.S. and Europe on rates of recovery and growth.

The Chinese industry, including aviation, is rapidly growing, powered by the government. VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation collaborates with Chinese companies more than 10 years. The Chinese state company AVIC is the official agent of VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation in China for sales of products for aerospace, engine-building and other industries.

In January 2011, it was announced about opening of affiliated company VSMPO-Tirus in China to support our customers in the AsiaPacific region (Japan, China, India, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and others) 34

VSMPO actively collaborates with COMAC Corporation and Shanghai Aerospace Manufacturing Co. on delivery of titanium semi-products for program of regional jet ARJ-21 and advanced program of long-haul aircraft C-919. In January 2011, it was announced about opening of affiliated company VSMPOTirus in China to support our customers in Asia-Pacific region (Japan, China, India, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and others).

Corporation supplies titanium products to various units of Indian Aerospace Corporation HindustanAeronauticsLimited (HAL). Among the customers are unit HAL Aircraft Division, which is a subcontractor of AIRBUS Corporation and manufacturer of components for Airbus A320 as well as helicopter unit HAL Helicopter Division.

Upcoming collaboration trend is VSMPO participation in Indian engine-building programs. Supply of various types of titanium semi-products on several international engine-building programs is being discussed.

Moreover, VSMPO-AVISMA successfully collaborates with Korean companies – subcontractors of world’s largest aircraft – and engine-building concerns.

Large volume of supplies is on the industrial sector of the Asian market.

■ q: What are the plans for the expan-

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200 150 100 50 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

150 mln dollars. The main directions of investment into production development: development of production capacities on sponge titanium, melting, metalforming capacities and capacities for die forgings machining.

■ q: As far as we know, corporation has placed a strategic stake on the development of the machining process and improving the technical complexity of the products released. What is the implementation dynamics of these plans?

■ A: In parallel with the creation of a joint venture UBM (Ural Boeing Manufacturing) on machining of die forgings Corporation develops its own capacities in this field.

Currently, Corporation capacities on machining of die forgings are 23 units of modern high-performance machines.

Plans for further development include the construction and phased commissioning of the acquired machines for machining of landing gears: –– 3-spindle two-gantry machine (2 pcs) –– 5-spindle two-gantry machine –– 4-spindle two-gantry machine –– processing centers (12 pcs) Negotiations on acquisition of an additional deep-hole drilling lathes and 2 lathes are being held.

■ q: Are the main customers willing to purchase products with the higher de2009 820 120 8.3 14.6 % 15.6 %

2010 815 150 8 18.4 % 19.4 %

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sion of production capacities of corporation in coming years? Tell about the main objectives of the investment program.

■ A: Implementation of the strategic objectives of Corporation defines the following priority directions for development: –– increase in production capacities of titanium in order to ensure release of 40–42 thousand tons per year of semiproducts and final products; –– improving the melting capacities of Corporation, including reduce in costs of melting ingots due to increase in involvement of recyclable wastes to the charge material on vacuum arc furnaces (VAR) and cold-hearth furnaces (ELU, scull furnaces); –– further development and improvement of the unique metalforming integrated complex in order to increase the production of die forgings for aircraft industry; –– increase in production capacities of deeper conversion products including machining of structural die forgings and die forgings of aircraft enginebuilding industry.

■ q: What is the volume of investments into production development and R&D and what is their share of total revenue?

■ A: Volume of investments into production development was 150 mln dollars in 2010 which is 25 % higher than in 2009. Investment share of total revenue was 18.4 % which is 3.8 % higher than in 2009. Share of R&D cost is 1 % of revenue and is 8 mln dollars on average.

■ q: Previously, corporation planned to increase investment into production development by a quarter. To what extent did you manage to implement these plans in last year?

■ A: The plans, outlined in early 2010, were fully implemented, investments were

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gree of machining, or such a direction is intended for new markets?

■ A: For our customers, obviously, it is very important to get products having a deeper processing for many reasons: decrease in costs for purchase (exception of the supply chain from one to almost all the “extra” units), decrease in their inventories, reducing of administrative costs (fewer procurement staff, reducing of costs for quality and production audits). At the same time consolidation and increase in business volumes of one supplier makes it possible for the customer to receive preferential prices, and we can predict a substantial increase in business volumes.

A striking example of the willingness of our customers to collaborate in high-tech products field is a joint venture with Boeing – Ural Boeing Manufacturing, which is equipped with the latest metal-cutting equipment and is engaged in machining of die forgings for Boeing 787. As a result of UBM, Boeing receives stocks, similar in size to the final part, and Corporation increases the depth of products processing, increases the technological level of production.

The practice of establishing joint (subsidiary) enterprises with products with high

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Metal Long-term portfolio of orders: Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, Goodrich, Messier Dowty, Eurocopter,Liebherr, Rolls Royce, Safran, Pratt&Whitney Canada, TEST, BTI etc. added value will be widely developed in the special economic zone of industrialproduction type “Titanium Valley”, which will be organized on the territory of Verkhesaldinskiy urban district of Sverdlovsk region, in close proximity to Corporation.

■ q: Corporation placed a stake on a long-term collaboration with United Aircraft Corporation in due time. There were even plans to establish a joint venture similar to Ural Boeing Manufacturing. What are the relations with UAC at present?

■ A: We are contacting closely with the United Aircraft Corporation on all projects

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both existing and newly developed ones.

VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation covers the entire need of companies which belong to UAC in titanium and a significant part of aluminum. From the perspective of a joint venture – now the process is not evolving but now titanium is being deeply processed and machined forgings and die forgings are being delivered.

■ q: What are the prospects and risks for companies in the aircraft world market nowadays?

■ A: The main outcome of 2010 was a general recovery and further development

of the global economy, which replaced a period of unprecedented financial volatility, which was accompanied by the most severe for the decades global economic slowdown and the collapse of trade performance. Since the development of the world titanium market is dependent on the general state of the global economy and the activity level of the main consumer of titanium production – market of manufacturers of commercial aviation, constituting about 40 % of world consumption of titanium -today prospects of the industry are safe. Today we can safely say that aircraft manufacturing industry will develop rapidly, because the market situation in the sector of civil aircraft manufacturing market was characterized by the following in 2010: –– for airline companies 2010 was a year of recovery after a crisis; –– international Association IATA registered a long-awaited return to profitability: Growth rate by 7 % in the

Metal segment of passenger traffic and by 19 % – in transportation; –– deliveries of passenger aircrafts by Boeing and Airbus companies have reached a historic peak – 972 aircrafts (Airbus – 510, Boeing – 462); –– in 2010 aircraft manufacturers (Airbus and Boeing) received a total of 1,492 orders for new aircrafts, which is much higher compared to 2009, when only 587 aircrafts were ordered; –– boeing Company is planning to deliver the first batch of 787 Dreamliner aircrafts at the end of the third quarter of 2011; –– the first aircraft A350 is expected to enter into service in the middle of 2013.

According to prediction of Boeing Company, in the next 20 years, until 2029, the global market will be supplied with 30,900 new aircrafts (4,000 airliners in China) to the total amount of 3.6 trillion dollars. 960 aircrafts to the amount of 90 billion dollars for Russia and CIS are among them. 56 % or 17,410 aircrafts of the total amount will be used to expand existing parks of airline companies and 44 %, or 13,490 airplanes – to replace the old aircrafts. By 2029 5,400 aircrafts delivered before 2010 will remain in operation, according to Boeing company information.

The most dynamic and fast- growing segment will contain the single-aisle aircrafts with capacity from 90 to 220 seats. This segment includes Boeing 737 и Airbus A320, russian MC-21 and chinese COMAC C919 and canadian C-series are also aimed to it.

The second largest segment (by the number of new aircrafts and in terms of investment in procurement) would be wide-body aircrafts with capacity ranging from 200 to 400 passengers. This segment includes Boeing 767, Boeing 787 and Boeing 777, as well as Airbus A330, A340 and A350 in the long term.

The third segment – segment of regional jet with capacity from 60 to 90 seats.

2,000 of such jets having a total cost of 60 billion dollars are predicted to be delivered in the next 20 years.

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(IATA) predicts the industry to make a profit of 8.6 billion dollars. Thus, the net profit will be 46 % less than in 2010, when the industry made ​​a profit of 16 billion dollars. IATA recorded a growth in passenger flow 8.9 %, in 2011 – by 5.2 %. Growth is predicted due to more intensive use of the fleet while recording the fixed costs at the same level.

According to analysts, demand for titanium in the commercial aviation sector is predicted to reach 42,000 tons in 2011 and exceed 49,000 tons since 2012. By 2016, despite the past crisis, consumption rate can increase to 75,000 tons.

The main risks in the aircraft industry can be related, primarily, to unstable situation in the oil market and the delay of aircraft programs. For example, the delay in plans for development, testings

and certification and commissioning into production of new generation titanium incorporated aircrafts Boeing B787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 causes the drop in demand for titanium rolling and accumulation of large stocks of rolled titanium. Increase in average oil prices and an increase in the share of jet fuel in the operating costs of airline companies (approximately 26 %, twice as large the rate in 2001–2002), which can lead to higher prices for transport and to decrease in their volume, decrease in profit of airline companies, and in consequence, and to decrease in orders of aircraft manufacturing concerns.

It shall be mentioned that everyone understands that business without risk is not the case, and we confidently look to the future, and are ready for any developments.

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Navigation

COMPASS in the World of High-Tech Compass MDB is an up-to-date research & production complex majoring in development and manufacture of consumer professional equipment for high-precision navigation operated by signals of GPS/GLONASS satellite navigation systems (GALILEO and COMPASS in the long run).

The company has a rich history starting from 1918, when the Soviet government issued a decree on establishing a plant for manufacturing telegraph devices. Compass MDB created the first ever powerful (for that time) transmit-receive airborne radio station of up-to 5,000 km operational range, which provided the record-breaking flight, Moscow - North Pole –Vancouver,

by Valery Chkalov’s crew aboard ANT-25 between 18 and 20 July 1937.

In 1948, Compass Design Bureau was detached to become an independent structure dealing with the development of navigation and communication equipment.

As an item of the radio navigation equipment products, the Bureau developed a radio direction finder called ‘Golden Arrow’, which was helpful in assisting the crew in adverse weather conditions to find the direction of required maneuver, so as to reach the airfield and carry out landing.

The modern radio direction finder is an automatic portable device of relatively low energy consumption, featuring wide use of the digital signal processing techniques and almost maintenance-free.

When developing hardware, the staff of Compass MDB relies on the most upto-date technologies, for the company mainly specializes in supplying products for aviation and rocket-and-space facilities.

In the 1970s, the digital signal processing techniques were largely used in the enterprise’s innovative developments.

Those techniques helped to dramatically reduce the weight, size and power consumption of the hardware, and to create: Mikhail Pestrakov, –– For the Air Force – A-723 radio navigaCommercial Director, Director tion receiver-indicator which operated for Special Projects and Special Missions at Compass with Alpha and Omega ground radio MDB, OJSC. navigation phase systems of global

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Navigation

coverage, as well as with pulse phase systems, including Chaika and Loran-S; –– For the Navy – Mars-75 multi-frequency phase radio navigation system designated for supporting ship navigation, executing hydrographic and operational works, as well as servicing flights of aircraft at speeds not exceeding 1,000 km/h.

The GLONASS, GPS and GALILEO global satellite navigation systems are subject to active radio interference, due to the low strength of signals emitted by space vehicles. On the horizon of earth surface, they are 40 decibels weaker than natural radio noises. The signals of such a low level are effectively suppressed by radio electronic warfare facilities, where a noise interference transmitter of 1 watt’s power would disturb the operation capacity of satellite radio navigation systems’ hardware within a radius of 32 km.

In order to level down the influence of natural and artificial interference, we have created satellite navigation equipment which features a higher level of interference immunity.

Taking into account the imperatives of our era, the hardware is being worked out for aviation and guided weapon systems, and the research and development works are going on to enable the accomplishment of combat tasks in the environment polluted by enemy radio electronic countermeasures.

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discoverable and vulnerable for destruction by appropriate means.

The enhancement of digital components of navigation hardware allows minimizing the share of analogous devices. When the hardware is mounted on different vehicles, their capabilities have to be modified in conformity with specific tasks and parameters of a vehicle. In terms of analogous equipment, it would mean serious problems of adaptation, up to restarting the development cycle. For the digital equipment, in most cases it is enough to update the software, thus obtaining new qualities of the product.

In order to enable efficient execution of all the above mentioned procedures before mounting a product in vehicles, the satellite navigation system simulator, modeling

GLONASS/GPS/GALILEO, has been developed. The development of the satellite navigation system simulator turned to be a complex task, with the use of most modern techniques of digital signal processing.

The range of the functions fulfilled by the simulator in the industrial and research field is very broad. It includes, for example, definition of technical solutions at the stage of consumer navigation equipment (CNE) development, adjustment and settings, the assessment of work quality during the production process at the manufacturing plant, issues of incoming inspection and periodical checks during the CNE life cycle, training technical staff in operating it, conducting a complex of scientific and laboratorial researches, as well as in-line simulation with the goal of defining a

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place for mounting the CNE in the vehicle, including highly dynamic systems, working out scenarios of CNE-mounting vehicle movement in the prescribed trajectories with the consideration of complex impacts of atmosphere, ionosphere (radio wave propagation conditions), and use of a priori and a posteriori information on the location of satellites in the space grouping at a certain time period.

The A-737 basic product (airborne GLONASS/GPS satellite radio navigation systems receiver-indicator) was developed in the 1980s, primarily for the military aviation. Today, the products of this series are mounted almost in all the aircraft. The purpose of our equipment is to define the position vector of an aircraft, i.e. three location constituents, three velocity constituents, and to receive the exact time reading, since the use of satellite navigation enables to tie to the unified time system.

The A-737 product provides the basis for several modifications which support additional functions and enhance the product capabilities in precision of position finding. For instance, the A-737I product brings together the capabilities of satellite navigation and navigation based on terrestrial pulse and phase radio

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especially when high precision in position finding is required, for example, in the guided weapons operational employment, the differential error-corrections are used. These corrections are formed by the terrestrial segment of the system, enabling to increase the precision to single meters, which is essential for destroying pin-point targets.

In the same time, we were given a task of creating equipment for the guided high-precision weapons. This task had to be primarily solved for the correctable aviation weapons. We created the satellite navigation hardware specially for that purpose. During the testing of the product by means of the differential mode, we succeeded in achieving the circular probable error calculable in single meters.

The hardware belonging to this class is mounted to the correction-enabled aviation weapons.

Compass MDB currently deals with the issues of development and production of systems. Such a technological solution radio navigation systems in various lines: is due to the fact that the interference resistance of receiver-indicators of satellite –– small size automatic direction finders for all aircraft of military and civil aviation navigation systems is not very high, and (ARK-32, ARK-35, ARK-40); as for the signals of pulse-phase systems, –– a series of A-737 aviation receiverit is much more difficult to jam them. In indicators for the high precision posicombat environment the use of two-system tion finding of different vehicles by equipment would largely enhance the capabilities of combat operations when GLONASS/GPS satellite navigation system signals (GALILEO in the long run) enemy uses electronic countermeasures. and terrestrial radio navigation pulseThe next modification is A-737D, which phase and phase systems; supports differential operation mode. The –– products for ground-supported trajecresults of navigational measurements tory measurements of boosters, upperdefined by the satellite navigation systems’ stage rockets and space vehicles receiver-indicators contain errors. One (disposable load); of them is related to the inaccuracy of –– map-enabled navigation pads, providdata about the space vehicle movement ing the planning and execution of flights parameters (ephemeral information). Since on air-routes and any prescribed routes the distance is measured from the vehicle out of the air-routes, as well as the to space vehicles, and such distances are aircraft special employment tasks, operused for calculating the vehicle’s position, ates with signals of GLONASS/GPS the precision of the whole system depends satellite navigation systems; on the accuracy of definition of space vehicle position. The second error is related –– equipment of navigational medium formation: local system of differential to the fact that the signal emitted by the error-corrections, retransmitter of satelspace vehicle goes through the ionosphere, lite signals; troposphere, where it is refracted and –– instrument-guided landing system for twisted, and, therefore, the measured aircraft (helicopters) onto aircraft carridistance to the space vehicle proves to ers and unequipped loading sites; be inaccurate. To get rid of these errors,

Navigation

–– portable receiver-indicator for the personal use of signals of GLONASS/GPS satellite navigation systems (GALILEO in the long run); –– a number of aerials of different purposes; –– dedicated jam resistant consumer navigation equipment operating with GLONASS/GPS satellite navigation systems for aircraft of all kinds and purposes; –– monitoring, security and centralized control systems for rail transport; –– dedicated navigation equipment for the control systems of automobile transport.

One of the main lines of activities of Compass MDB, OJSC is the development of navigation complex for helicopter to land onto ship.

We have successfully created such system. Its main difference from the standard systems is that it operates in the mode of relative navigation. That is, when the system is activated, the aircraft ‘ties’ itself to the center of landing pad of the ship. And wherever the ship was going, and whatever was the helicopter movement, its position is always defined relating to the center of the helipad.

We expect that the successful test results open up new alternatives of using the system in civil industries. Today, the topical issue is providing the helicopter communication with shelf-based drilling plates, ensuring flights of deck-based aviation of the icebreaking fleet, scientific research ships and other sea vessels.

In 1996, the plant created navigation means providing ground-supported trajectory measurements for products of rocket-and-space industry: boosters, rockets, upper-stage engines and disposable load. The equipment functions very efficiently and reliably in rocketand-space vehicles and is demanded by rocket manufacturers. Apart from other reasons, the demand for such equipment is explained by the need for high-precision control of trajectory parameters. There is no secret that the rocket, when deviating from the trajectory beyond the admissible limits, has to be destroyed. Since the creation and maintenance of terrestrial complexes of A I R F L E E T

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ground-supported trajectory measurements is a very expensive activity, the use of satellite navigation equipment facilitates the task significantly.

While gaining certain experience, our enterprise has succeeded in creating equipment of smaller size, less weight, with better characteristics. Compared to the first product installed in the booster which was of 4.5 kg mass, the equipment now weighs 1.5 kg, and there is a trend of further reduction of the weight and size characteristics. There are examples of building these products into the telemetric complexes of minor space vehicles. About ten of such minor space vehicles have been launched, and the first ‘Zeya’ vehicle equipped with our receiver-indicator was set into orbit in 2007. We applied it to reconfirm the possibility of using satellite navigation hardware at very high vehicle movement speeds.

The obtained high results in the use of satellite navigation in the high-precision weapons, namely aviation weapons, primarily, the correctable aviation bombs, lead to the fire accuracy enhancement, in the context of cannon artillery.

The new trend in the context of diversification of company’s product mix is the development of search and rescue system with the use of GLONASS/GPS

equipment, as well as the “Gonets” satellite communication segment. The abovementioned system will help significantly reduce time for search and rescue of those in distress as well as improve the search operations efficiency. It is notable that the existing systems do not allow appropriately performing the set tasks.

A search and rescue operation begins with reception of distress message which can appear as a signal of distress received or vehicle’s fallout from the radar’s screen or missing radio contact for a certain period. After establishing the fact of distress, it is necessary to find the location of those suffering distress with the sufficient accuracy for rescue groups to contact those in distress directly.

For the sake of accomplishment of search and rescue tasks, fast and effective coordination of actions of the search and rescue forces, the two-way information exchange between them and those in distress is required to decrease the detection time and reduce the duration of search and rescue operations. Impossibility of such information exchange should be considered as one of the main drawbacks of the existing systems.

In order to remove the mentioned shortcomings of the system, the space system of search and rescue is now under

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development. It envisages two-way data exchange between the distressed and rescue services. The system being developed is comprised of three segments: –– the space segment is represented by navigation space vehicles of GLONASS/GPS satellite navigation systems, as well as satellites of global communication systems; –– the user segment includes emergency radio buoys designed both for being mounted to mobile vehicles (ARB) and for the personal use (ARB-N). There is also a tendency for using radio beacons in certain fixed installations, with the purpose of sending warning signals in critical conditions (for example, in case of ecological or other emergencies); –– the control system consists of the Unified Coordination Center (UCC), which collects information about emergencies observed, and a network of regional command and control posts. UCC functions include the monitoring of the whole system too.

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The emergency radio buoys define their positions through GLONASS/GPS navigation signals. When simultaneously using two global satellite positioning systems, the probability of finding exact position of ARB increases much. An emergency message formed in ARB is delivered to UCC through the radio channel of global satellite communication systems. The emergency message contains ARB’s identifier, the exact position of the ARB at the time of sending emergency signal or message, the accident time and the accident characteristic. UCC forms a response (acknowledgment) to the received emergency message; it goes to the distressed ARB through the channel of global communication systems.

This system does not require development of the communication system, since there is a possibility of using the formerly developed and currently operating global satellite communication systems which allow not only organizing a two-way communication channel, but all-weather and round-the-clock radio communication. The main advantage

is that there are no interruptions in the communication sessions. Therefore, the information about the distressed will be delivered to UCC within the minimum time.

The use of the two-way data exchange will enable the fast and effective coordination of actions of search-andrescue teams and those in distress; therewith, the distressed will be informed that their distress signal has been detected and the search-and-rescue services have initiated a rescue operation.

The enterprise’s future plans are related with improvement of the radio navigation equipment, increase of the interference resistance, integration with other navigation systems, precise control of air-dropped loads, logistics navigation systems and complexes of transport communications, navigation products of general usage.

Mikhail Pestrakov, Commercial Director, Director for Special Projects and Special Missions at Compass MDB, OJSC

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Russian

weapons trade

Russia remains world’s second largest arms exporter after the US with state arms vendor Rosoboronexport claiming a backlog of 40 billion dollars. Fifty eight nations took deliveries of Russian military equipment worth US$8.6 billion in 2010.

Weapons trade carries strategic importance as it helps the Kremlin build good relations with governments of other countries, and brings these nations into a closer alliance with Russia in the spheres of industrial cooperation and national defense. Another important aspect is that such activity helps domestic manufacturers stay in the business and develop critical technologies.

Military export from Russia is centralized. All sales of ready-to-use weapons (not counting some minor items) go through Rosoboronexport. Separately, 21 different Russian companies (all being original equipment makers or licenseholders) have governmental permission to

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work directly with foreign customers, but their scope of activities is limited to spare parts, repair and overhaul, training and logistics – and none holds the right to supply weapons systems independently of Rosoboronexport.

With exports of those 21 other companies summed up with Rosoboronexport’s, the total figure for the whole of Russia comes to 10 billion dollars in 2010.

Last year was a success for Rosoboronexport, as the company celebrated its tenth anniversary since foundation in November. Speaking to international media on this occasion, general director Anatoly Isaikin noted that the sales

over that time rose by two and a half times. The grand total of delivered goods and services since foundation exceeded 60 billion dollars. On average, every year added up 500–700 million dollars on the top of the previous year’s figure, Isaikin said.

Fitting in recent trends in the global marketplace, Rosoboronexport tries not to sell an item, as it used to, but rather sell the whole lifecycle of a given weapons system including repair and overhaul, mid-life upgrade and modernization up till retirement and with inclusion of personnel training.

“Today, we offer not only ready-to-use systems, but also technologies, joint produc-

Commodity-Money-Commodity tion of subcomponents – and sometimes even sell licenses for local production of ready-to-use weapons”, Isaikin says.

The Russian arms trade grows steadily and is far from some kind of a natural limit, he insists, and stresses that “the rise continues and we will act so as to support it in future”.

One of the factors that make purchasing nations go for more Russian weapons is the recent local wars, like that in the Persian Gulf, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Libya. The interest lies chiefly in antiaircraft systems especially modern ones able to withstand powerful air forces of the leading nations. Rosoboronexport believes export of the anti-aircraft systems will rise sharply in some point in not so distant future and perhaps reach and go beyond sales of fighter aircraft – now the best selling asset in the Russian arms arsenal.

Negotiations with overseas clients have been very active in the past few years on advanced air defense systems such the S-400, codenamed the Triumph. “It is a brand-new system being developed for Russia’s Air-Defense Forces. Once the Russian customer’s needs are fulfilled, the system will be available for export,” Isaikin told reporters. “We are in consultations with Russian Defense Ministry in order to have an understanding of when we can start S-400 deliveries abroad. We are talking to our customers, but deliveries are some time off in the future.”

Another point of growth is equipment for special forces, including paratroopers and commandos, homeland security, police and anti-terrorist units. Isaikin comments: “In my opinion, the security systems are going to sell in larger volumes due to the growing need to fight terrorism and provide safer conditions for the population and public institutions. Police, border guards, customs and security structures want more advanced equipment. Russia has something to offer, including certain systems with unique capabilities. To market those, Rosoboronexport established a special unit five years ago, and since then our sales have been increasing”.

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43%, and anti-aircraft defense means 13%. In 2009, equipment for land forces was on the second place at 19 percent, and navy-related hardware was third at 13.9 percent, leaving anti-aircraft defenses one step lower at 13.3 percent.

With the election in 2010 of pro-Russian president Victor Yanukovich, ties between the Ukrainian and Russian defense industries are expected to grow even stronger.

This also brings about some new perspectives before the Russian and Ukrainian makers in the global marketplace. If the two nations go serious and in truth join forces in the sphere of air lifters, their sales will go up considerably. This is what the experts say in both countries.

They note that Ukraine possesses a very competent Antonov company with huge experience in airlifters, but it lacks sufficient funding and manufacturing capability to produce An-70 and other superb designs in large numbers. Russia does have the required production capacities and competent arms salesman to complete the cycle.

The hope is put in the An-70, which effectively is the only truly next-generation airlifter currently flying in the Eastern world. On the wave of warming relations with Kiev, Russian Defense Ministry leaders – including Minister of Defense Ana-

toly Serdyukov – began to speak about the need to finalize a contract on delivery of forty to fifty An-70s to the Russian air force. If this happens, such a contract may finally get this development project off the ground and open export opportunities for the aircraft.

Rosoboronexport is keen to sell the new Antonov aircraft. Isaikin told reporters: “In the today’s situation, airlifters are in demand all around the world; every air force needs or wants to have an efficient fleet of aircraft. Therefore, the An-70 has good chances in the market, provided its development is completed soon.”

Furthermore, the Russian air force made a positive assessment of Antonov’s idea to create a 15 metric ton airlifter, the An-178, which is based on the An-148 75-seat commercial passenger jetliner – which is in production within Russia (at the VASO plant in Voronezh) and in Ukraine (at Antonov’s plant in Kiev). Today, the An-148 is most modern Eastern-built airliner, and it is in service with Rossiya – Russian Airlines (operating six An-148-100Bs since January 2011) and Ukraine’s Aerosvit airlines (three An-148-100Bs in service).

Russia and Ukraine are trying to sell the An-148 and its derivatives in the Indian market. They have won soft orders from five Indian airlines. This enabled the

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partner nations to launch an An-148 type validation campaign with India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in May 2010. Furthermore, the An-148 is also considered in the role of basic platform for Indo-Russian MTA (Multirole Transport Aircraft).

Furthermore, Ukraine and Russia are jointly work on the super-heavy Antonov An-124 Ruslan outsized cargo aircraft.

Besides, Russia is re-starting production of the Il-76 airlifter able to carry fifty tons of payload as a modernized Il-476 airlifter. First operable example shall take to the air in October this year. China is being urged to renegotiate the stalled deal on some forty Il-76-series aircraft in favor of the more advanced Il-476. India is likely to be offered either Il-476 or An-124 if it initiates a new strategic airlifter tender.

Meantime, fighters remain the best selling item of all Rosoboronexport’s wares.

Deliveries of the Sukhoi Su-30MK series aircraft continues to Vietnam, India, Indonesia and Algeria, and of MiG-29 series to India and Myanmar. In the next five years, the evolving Flanker and Fulcrum series of fourth-generation fighters will be succeeded by the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA). The FGFA effectively is an exportable version of the Russian air force PAK FA combat aircraft, which has been in flight test since January 2010. Isaikin says that Russia currently has received a proposal to cooperate on joint development of fifth-generation weapons systems from

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one country – India. The Indian initiative was given a positive reception, and now Russia and India are working together on opportunities for both the FGFA fighter and MTA airlifter, he added.

Russian helicopters are also best-sellers.

This mostly applies to the Mi-8/17, Mi24/35 and Ka-28/31 series machines.

There are the newer Mil Mi-28N and Kamov Ka-52 attack helicopters – these are being supplied to the Russian armed forces and available for export. “We are already talking to some customers in a belief that these models, along with further improved Mi-17, will be our best sellers in coming years”, Isaikin said.

Computer-based simulators are becoming increasingly popular and the Russians are trying to keep ahead in their development. Isaikin comments: “There is a new trend, for expended range of objects with whom a trainee pilot can cooperate in the battlefield by means of using communications equipment, including naval and land forces assets. We have developed and now offer such extended simulators for training of helicopter pilots”.

Another new development is Rosoboronexport’s recent revision of its marketing and product-promotion policy. In 2010 the company exhibited at thirty shows.

From now on the focus shall be put on quality of product presentations using 3D technologies and newly-invented “wide” formats”. “We aim at more sensational, yet fair presentations so as to better

exhibit the qualities of the Russian weapons and their competitive advantages in comparison with foreign products”, Isaikin says.

Rosoboronexport used to sell up to 90% to China and India. These days, China is getting less interested in importing weapons, while India is diversifying its purchases and investing more in “homegrown” production. China’s share in Russian military export is likely to continue on a downward trend. “The fall of military trade with China is easy to explain: the local military production there develops quickly and well,” according to Isaikin.

“In the past, China needed modern weapons systems because its domestic manufacturers could not fulfill the requirements of the Chinese armed forces. Today, Chinese manufacturers have improved, and they can produce more competitive systems in greater numbers for the Chinese customers.”

India is another matter. Also buying a lot from the west, New Delhi demands same level of services and customer support from Moscow. To be able to serve the customer better, Rosoboronexport established a special company in India, Rosoboronservis. This company provides after sales support for aircraft and warships in the Indian service. Similar technical centers are to be opened in other countries.

Rosoboronexport has been widening the geographic distribution of its sales. Today, about 90% of export deliveries go to ten nations. Latin America is an emerging market for Russian weapons. Big contracts were recently signed with Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Venezuela, Peru, Mexico, Columbia and Uruguay. Some prospects are related to Bolivia and Chile. Furthermore, volumes of weapons sales grow in relation to Azerbaijan, Belorussia, Kazakhstan and other members in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

In the foreseeable future weapons sales will continue to serve a major political tool in the Kremlin’s hands as an instrument of keeping its allies interested in their Russian connection.

By Vladimir Karnozov

Navigation

Professional translation and interpretation services

technical translation consecutive interpretation telephone call interpretation simultaneous interpretation St.Petersburg, Russia • tel.+7 (812) 331 27 77 www.li-terra.ru A I R F L E E T · 3 · 2 0 1 1 ( 8 8 )

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Test & Search The mankind has entered the twentieth century, discovering new era. The era of technical progress. People invented the various cars and mechanisms. Speed and capacities were increased. Sometimes they went out of control. In this situation ground tests began to play the increasing role. There were special ranges worldwide. Bombs were blasted, cars and tanks were tested, rockets were launched there. Of course, aircrafts did not escape the fate. There are ranges of ground tests of aviation technics and weapons ranges in any developed country of the world, Russia is not an exception. The one of such ranges is near capital of Russia — Moscow. There is The Federal Governmental Enterprise “State Governmental Scientific-Testing Area of Aircraft Systems” (FKP “GkNIPAS”). It was founded in 1941.

■ question: Mr. Koshelyev what was the purpose of the Scientific-Testing Area of Aircraft Systems ?

GkNIPAS: RelIAbIlIty oN the eARth – SAfety IN AIR ■ Answer: The main aim of its creation was the providing of aviation system tests, and also the researches in the field of aerodynamics and aeroballistics. Thousands unique experiments and tests have been performed. Nowadays the test range is one of the largest in Russia. Its experimental base allows to perform tests and exercises of the major units and aircraft fighting components and fighting complex trials. The test range stands allow to work with fighting products, simulating the conditions of their real application. The main hallmark is practically unlimited range of information received with smaller risk and expenses, in comparison with flight tests. The hallmark of the test range is the high-speed rail track. Nowadays the length of it is 2,5 km, but in the nearest future will be extended up to 7 km.

The track has really unique construction. Its

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Our partners trust, their interest in the mutual cooperation is the guarantee of our prosperity hydro-brake system allows to perform tests with the preservation of tests object.

■ q: What kind of tests and experiments does the Scientific-Testing Area perform?

■ A: We have been performing tests to the emergency escape out of the aircrafts, starting up of ammunition, the various tests for dynamic influences and the function of the system. Almost all planes and helicopters of State Aviation Industry were tested here. The rail track was already mentioned in our conversation. Many experiments with various systems of rocket arms, tests of parachute systems, aircraft seats, and also tests of aircraft constructions to the birdproofing

were conducted there. The track allows to conduct researches in the field of high-speed aerohydrodynamics and sonic boom effect, as well as different tests of missile warheads and detonating fuze to the blows, loadfactors and tests to brake mechanisms. One of the major kind of experiments is the test to compatibility of the aircraft with its arms.

The true to life conditions of flight modeled on the stand. There is a specially equipped shooting gallery in the testing range where aerial gun system evaluations, reliability of capture inspections, shooting drills with modeling the flight modes are performed.

The damage control plays the huge role for

Test & Search

ANDREY IVANOVICH KOSHELYEV Andrey Ivanovich Koshelyev has been working at the training range since 1981 after graduation of Tyulskiy Polytech Institute. Nowadays Andrey Ivanovich is the Head of The Federal Governmental Enterprise “State Governmental Scientific-Testing Area of Aircraft Systems” (FKP “GkNIPAS”). It is the first enterprise in Russia.

Andrey Ivanovich Koshelyev’s career is filled with creativity, activity directed towards the creation, development and improvement of the aviation test data systems.

One cannot but notice the distinguish feature of Mr. Koshelyev – his sense of responsibility for the business and the training range future. A.I. Koshelyev proved to be creative professional, active, just and demanding leader. He got government rewards.

the planes and helicopters. Special tests to ■ q: You told us about tests with the help aircraft constructions durability and also the of military technics, but do you conduct efficiency of fighting parts of rockets are espeaceful tests? timated. The various situations are simulated ■ A: The military subject is not the only here. For example, shell hit into an aircraft en- one in work of experts at the testing range. gine or a fuel tank. There is a special stand for The most perspective and actual tests are the safety of fuel systems optimization. Fuel the tests towards peace. Tests for the manutanks are being tested to the fire and explofacturers of civil aviation technics. In this arsive tests in this place. ea, Officers from the FKP “GkNIPAS” have ■ q: As far as I know the special subject the vast experience in this field. Perhaps, it in the operation of the testing range is experiis possible to name the most demanded ments connected with missile usage. direction of experiments at the stand seat.

■ A: That’s right. The rockets and their mis- The stand differs from foreign analogues, sile parts are being tested to the variously in because the principle of the turned movethe range To define, the way the missile part ment is realized here. This principle allows will be during the hit shell or another foreign to save the object of the test. object, the missile parts are being shot away ■ q: Today the great attention is given to by the special nucleus. Rockets are being safety of crew and passengers. Could you heated up with the help of incoming flow, please tell us more about the tests? simulating supersonic speed of flight, engines ■ A: The FKP “GkNIPAS” has been and airborne systems are taken the same tests engaged more than ten years in working too. How long-term storage does effect a mis- out the methods and the stand equipment sile? How long a missile could be stored for? for the tests of trauma safety and securities The special test allows to answer these quesof crews and passengers of aircraft in the tions. The test takes part in a special climatic terms of emergencies. The analysis of aviachamber. The safety is the main requirement tion incidents and accidents shows that their at work with any product containing explobig parts are connected with the takeoff and sives, especially it concerns rockets. There are landing modes at which there are destrucseveral stands where their safety estimations tions of aviation seats, fastened systems and, can be checked in the training range. as the result, serious trauma. Domestic and The wide experience received during foreign aviation regulations require equipthe result of the various tests, influenced exment tests and an interior of cabins of pasperts to create the number of independent senger aircrafts in the terms of a crash landresearches which are realized in the pilot ing. At the Federal Governmental Enterprise production. Among them are combat parts to “State Governmental Scientific-Testing Area aircraft guided missiles of the air-to-surface of Aircraft Systems” founded and certified class, grenades with the penetrating effect for in the Russian Technological Regulation and the grenade discharger and exclusive workAviation Registration a stand “Seat”, that ing out – anti helicopter mine. helps to test the aviation seats in the condiA I R F L E E T A I R F L E E T

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tions of an aircraft crash landing. Today the stand “Seat” is unique in Russia, corresponds to the international requirements and certified to have the right to perform certified tests. By this time dynamic tests have been conducted for the seat equipment for the planes of the leading companies.

■ q: Mr. Koshelyev, tell us couple words about the prospects of development of stand tests?

■ A: Modern aircraft of civil airlines development requires the expansions of possibilities of the created stand equipment.

Besides, similar test technologies with a quantitative trauma estimation of crew members should be taken into not only for the civil aviation technics, but also for military aircraft that proves to be true with foreign experience. In connection with the urgency of this kind of work, the enterprise finds financial resources and continues researches to expansion of possibilities of the stand equipment for tests in the terms of highspeed aircraft and land vehicles crashes.

Eduard Voytenko

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Engines

India tries to join exclusive Club of 5th Generation Fighter Owners

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Cooperation From Top-3 to Top-4 These kind of fighters are today increasingly becoming a symbol proving that a country has an independent aviation industry, capable of developing combat aircrafts and India intends to join this exclusive club.

Also to stay ahead in this race, India is not only actively developing its aviation industry, but also seeking to develop a FGFA. But looking at the costs involved, it would not be feasible to start from scratch and so coordination with Russia is critical to India in this respect.

Analysts and defence experts are of the opinion that the real concern is more towards the Chinese that who have prompted India to enter this space.

The only two countries that have made much advancement on this front so far are the United States, built its F-22 Raptor and is testing the F-35, while the Russian counterpart – T-50 fighter – is still being tested.

In fact, both the US aircraft are manufactured by a consortium led by Lockheed Martin. Reports indicate that the combat-ready fifth-generation fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, has since entered service with the US Air Force in 2005.

Lately India and Russia have intensified efforts to build their advanced fighter plane if they are not to lose the race to China. Yes that’s the truth, a defence expert says. The Chinese J-20 fighter tested recently will be a direct rival to the Russian-Indian fifth-generation aircraft. The Chinese plane is expected to be ready by 2020. Even though the major military powers and defence experts have long known that China has been developing new combat-

aircraft designs, so the revelation of the Chengdu J-20 did not come as a shock to anyone. But it still remains to be seen just what this next-generation combat aircraft capabilities and development schedule will be, and particularly the extent to which it can challenge rival aircraft for air superiority.

Indian defence experts have expressed concern about the security on the region.

The development of a new Chinese combat aircraft, however, must also be set against the background of regional competition.

India and Russia had earlier signed an agreement to jointly develop and manufacture the fifth generation fighter aircraft way back in 2008. The agreement was signed in the presence of Indian Defence Minister A. K. Antony and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov.

Aircraft worth of $30 billion was considered the biggest defence deal ever in the history of India. The deal on FGFA was signed between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) of India and Rosoboronexport, Sukhoi of Russia.

Russia’s Sukhoi Design Bureau has been developing the stealth fifthgeneration fighter PAK-FA with a range of more than 5,000 km since 1990s.

Sukhoi’s T-50 prototype stealth fighter is intended to replace the Russian Air Force Su-27 Flanker aircraft towards the end of this decade. Russia and India concluded an agreement in December under which New Delhi will ‘piggyback’ on the T-50 program, in return for a substantial financial contribution, with the aircraft expected to enter into service in India around the end of the decade. India is also bolstering its air

The race is on for the fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) is referred to as the most advanced and is designed to incorporate numerous technological progress over the earlier class the fourth generation. India will shortly join the exclusive club to develop and manufacture this kind of aircrafts. The major super powers – the United States and Russia – have made much advancement on the design front, while China also reported A I R F L E E T · 3 · 2 0 1 1 ( 8 8 ) 53 to have tested an initial prototype of the fifth-generation aircraft.

Cooperation inventory in the near term, acquiring additional Su-30MKI multi-role fighters.

India’s another ambitious projects ie developing the Medium Combat Aircraft, a twin-engine fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter apart from Sukhoi/HAL FGFA project is being jointly developed with Russia. The main purpose of this aircraft is to replace the aging Jaguar and Dassault Mirage 2000 range of fighters.

India is however, yet to decide on the winner of its medium multi-role combat-aircraft competition, for which there are at least six bidders still in the running. Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi – is also in the race to bag this major deal.

The extent to which the Chinese J-20 project could in time challenge for air dominance is a key question. Into this calculation will come not only the timeframe in which those aircraft could enter service, but also the future role to be played in Western air forces by unmanned combat aerial vehicles.

It is clear that the West’s recent comparative neglect of crewed nextgeneration combat aircraft has not been mirrored completely by other major powers.

Russian Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA

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Role of India and Russia It is no surprise that India has chosen the Russian aircraft as the prototype for its Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program. Now that the T-50 is already in the air and passing its tests with flying colors, India and Russia can confidently sign an final agreement to develop a prototype on its basis Russia wants a “5th generation” fighter that keeps it competitive with America and China. India wants to maintain technical superiority over its rivals, and grow its aerospace industry’s capabilities.

They hope to work together, and succeed like its earlier aviation projects.

Cooperation with Russia is critical to India in this respect. In turn, Russia needs financial support to finish work on its fifth generation fighter.

The joint development of a fifth generation fighter aircraft or FGFA has moved to the fore of Russian-Indian cooperation. The issue was discussed during Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov’s recent visit to India in 2010.

So far, preliminary cooperation agreements have been signed between Sukhoi/United Aircraft Corporation, for a platform based on Sukhoi’s T50/PAKFA design.

The FGFA aircraft to be jointly developed is termed Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF). The PMF draws upon the basic structural and system design of the Russian FGFA Technology Demonstrator PAK-FA with modifications to meet the more stringent specifications of the Indian Air Force. The fighter will have advanced features such as stealth, supercruise, ultra-manoeuvrability, highly integrated avionics suite, enhanced situational awareness, internal carriage of weapons and Network Centric Warfare capabilities.

At the Indian Air Force’s 78th Anniversary last year, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshall Pradeep Vasant Naik, said, “We are looking for about 200 to 250 fifth generation fighters and will start rolling them out by 2017. He added saying that some of the essential features we would like the aircrafts to have include the swing role, fly for longer duration without refueling, super cruise, better reliability and maintainability, higher level mission etc.

The broad scope of bilateral cooperation during the joint project covers the design and development of the PMF, its production-ising, and joint

Cooperation marketing to third countries. Options include the design and development of a twin-seater variant and the integration of an advanced engine with higher thrust at a later stage. With an expected outlay running in to the hundreds of billions, the total cost including options and the value of production aircraft will make FGFA/PMF, the biggest defence program in the history of India.

The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) would be the Indian designer and builder of the stealth fighters.

India’s contribution for the research and development would amount to about 30 percent. This includes stealth fighter project, and mainly focus on the composite components with the stealth function and some electronic equipments, such as avionics, electronic warfare systems and cockpit display.

India will also be responsible to design from the single-seat stealth fighter into a wo-seater type, which would be deployed by the Indian Air Force. Russia on the other hand, its Sukhoi Design Bureau has been developing the stealth generation fighter PAK-FA with a range of more than 5,000 km since since the 1990’s.

Indian designers will also be responsible for re-modelling Russia’s single-seat fighter into a two-seater version for the IAF. The PMF planes are expected to start rolling out around 2017, but delays cannot be ruled out, judging by past experience.

FGFA: the cost and main phases The design and development of advanced fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) is estimated to cost about $295 million.

Both the air forces are set to induct the FGFA by 2017-18, making a quantum leap in air power. India is expected to fork out an estimated $30 billion (Rs 1,35,000 crore) towards inducting 300 fifth-generation fighters.

Air force chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik in an earlier press conference highlighted that the fighter aircraft would have supercruise ability, allowing it to A I R F L E E T

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The official signing of the contract between Rosoboronexport and HAL for creating a draft technical design of India’s version of the FGFA fly at supersonic speeds for extended periods without kicking in fuel-guzzling afterburners. The FGFA will be based on the Russian Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA design.

So experts indicate that the total costs of development could run into $8 to $10 billion and following which both HAL and Russian Rosoboronexport’s Sukhoi would also be manufacturing about 250 fighters with a price tag of $100 million per each aircraft.

It is now official that India has kicked off the development of the ambitious fifth generation fighters since the later half of 2010, as per a defence official.

India is expected to spend about $2 billion dollars in the next 18 months to indigenously develop its new generation stealth fighter, according to an Indian defense official.

The development includes two technology demonstrators and seven prototypes in different phases, as quoted by an Indian local newspaper. It said that the defence agency Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has received the government-sanctioned fund of more than $20 million dollars.

The fighter would be a twin-engine aircraft as the existing MIG-29 fighter with its total weight at about 20 tons. it will have a small radar cross-section, and all weapons will be placed in the internal bays to ensure the stealth effects.

Those fighters claimed the capabilities of “first-look, first-shot, first-kill” by being designed from the start to

operate in a network-centric combat environment, and to feature low signatures employing advanced materials and shaping techniques.

The DRDO is expected to finish the definition of the new generation fighter’s technical and operational requirements and lay out the broad concepts for the new fighter’s development within about one and half a year.

The fighter is designed to carry out multi-purpose tasks, including executing air-to-air combats with missiles and neutralizing the vital ground targets with the precision-guided weapons, it said.

The ADA is likely to finish the technical and operational requirements and layout for its development so the maiden flight test is expected to be made by 2017.

India is also reportedly to spend $6 billion dollars to develop a type of the fifth generation fighters in partnership with Russia.

According to defence experts, the FGFA projects would also have to add additional features including allaspect stealth even when armed, Low Probability of Intercept Radar (LPIR), high-performance air frames, advanced avionics features, and highly integrated computer systems capable of networking with other elements within the theater of war in order to achieve an advantage in situational awareness.

By Manu Sharma

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Cooperation

Maiden flight of Indo-Russian

MTA in 2017-18

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has formed a joint venture company (JVC) with the Russian partners for the co-development of Multi-role Transport Aircraft (MTA). The MTA is a mediumlift transport aircraft which will be manufactured by HAL and United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) of Russia. The aircraft will replace the Indian Air Force’s ageing AN-32 transport aircraft. The aircraft is capable of performing the regular transport duties and can also deploy paratroopers.

MTA is a 15-20 tonnes payload capacity Aircraft which would meet the requirement of the Indian Air Force and the Russian Air Force. The project has been approved by both the Government of India and the Government of Russian Federation.

The Aircraft will have two engines, state of the art features such as fly-by-

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wire, full authority digital engine control, modern avionics and glass cockpit. Total development cost is around USD 600.70 million (approx Rs. 2900 crores) to be equally shared by both the sides. It is planned to manufacture 205 aircraft with 50:50 work share between HAL and the Russian partners.

The JVC is headquartered at Bangalore, India for executing the MTA project.

The MTA would have a maximum takeoff weight 65 tonnes, cruise speed 800 kilometers per hour, range of 25002700 kilometers and service ceiling of 12 kilometers.

HAL Chairman and Managing Director

Cooperation

(CMD) Ashok Nayak confirmed that India would acquire 45 aircraft and Russia 105.

There would be scope though for exporting this aircraft, both for civil and military use, and more MTAs could be manufactured.

The aircraft could be powered by Russian-made Aviadvigatel PD-14 turbofan engines attached to top mounted wings, and has a T-shaped tail. The cabin size will be the same as the Ilyushin Il-76 but will be half the length. The payload will be 18.5 tons of military or civilian cargo, with a range of 2500 km and a speed of 870 km/h.

The main features of MTA are: Maximum take-off weight 65 tonnes, Payload Capacity 15-20 tonnes, Cruise Speed 800 kmph, Range 2500-2700 km, Service ceiling 12 km. The Aircraft will have two engines, state of the art features such as flyby-wire, full authority digital engine control, modern avionics and glass cockpit.

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also contains the agreed joint intention to spin-off (to be pioneered by HAL's Aircraft Research and Design Centre, Bangalore) and market a civilian variant of the MTA in the form of a 100-seater passenger airplane for which HAL will be the lead partner and principal integrator.

The Indian part of serial production of the MTA, when ready, will take place at HAL's Transport Aircraft Division in Kanpur.

On June 6, 2001, a protocol on the commencement of work on the development of a joint multi-role fourengined turboprop transport aircraft IL-214 was signed between Russia and India on June six, 2001. It was then promised that it to be the most promising aircraft of the 21st century.

In India, the new aircraft is proposed to replace 110 An-32 transport aircraft.

In the course of a detailed working out and harmonization of the requirements set by Air Force of Russia and India, the MTA project was significantly changed from the Il-214 baseline, and the aircraft's payload capacity and cargo compartment dimensions were increased.

On 06 June 2004 a protocol was signed between Russia and India on beginning the joint construction of an Il-214 multi-role military cargo jet. The decision on MTA's full-scale launch was made in November 2007, when a special agreement between the two countries' governments was signed.

This long-planned Russian-Indian project brought to life a next-generation tactical airlifter with maximum takeoff weight about 70 tons and a payload capability of 20 tons In March 2008 Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), clarified that the withdrawal of the Russian company, Irkutsk Aviation and Industrial Association as a partner from the MTA joint venture is an internal Russian affair and did not indicate a collapse of the project.

Rosoboronexport, Russia's state-owned monopoly liaison agency for the export and import of defence related and dual use products, technologies and services identified the Ilyushin Aviation Complex as the new prime nodal agency in place of Dassault Rafale Irkutsk.

The MTA is meant to replace the ageing Antonov (An)-12, An-26/ 32 turboprop transport aircraft which first entered service in the 1970s. While the Indian Air Force plans to acquire 45 of these aircraft, the Russians are committed to acquiring around 100 over 12 years.

Recently, HAL Chairman Ashok Nayak said that the Russian-Indian military transport plane could make its maiden flight by 2018.

"The MTA will be most likely developed on the basis of the Il-214 twin-engine military transport aircraft designed by the Ilyushin Design Bureau. The new aircraft will feature a takeoff weight of around 55 tons, flight range of 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) and a payload of up to 20 tons", Nayak said.

The Tactical Transport Aircraft development program will significantly broaden the horizons of Indo-Russian military-technical cooperation. While implementing this innovative program, Russian and Indian engineers will acquire invaluable experience and expertise in joint creation of the top-of-the-line aviation product.

Featuring a semi-monocoque fuselage, the aircraft's structure would be made of advanced aluminium alloys and composites. Perfect aerodynamic layout with high-swept advanced wing and T-shape tail is optimized to ensure the flight safety and enhanced cruise speed.

The airlifter would capable of operating from elevated airfields with paved/ unpaved runways, in adverse weather conditions. The avionics' open architecture approach provides essential capacity for future innovations and upgrades.

Sophisticated concept of the unified informand-control "field" envisions integration of six multifunctional displays with two headup indicators.

The spacious cargo cabin will accommodate up to 18.5 tonnes of cargo.

The rear ramp will contribute to efficient airdrop operations, as well as to ease of loading/unloading. Two telphers, a cargo winch, and rollers comprise cargohandling equipment.

The IL-214 is an aircraft with top-

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Engines

Multi-Role Transport Aircraft

mounted wing and T-shaped tail empennage. The aircraft would be equipped with twin bypass turbojet engines of 9-10 ton thrust. As a prospective powerplant, the PS-9 engine manufactured by the JSC "Perm' Motor Works", Rolls-Royce BR-170, D-436T engines are contemplated. The cargo cabin is 13.85 m long (with account for the ramp - 17.8 m), and would be 3.0 m high and 3.15 m wide.

The military transport version of the airplane would have the cargo ramp in the tail section and capable of paratroops deployment at flight speed of approximately 250 km/h. The aircraft estimated operational life is 20000 flight hours.

Initially, Ilyushin had the intention to build an aircraft with a payload capacity of 15 tons and maximum take-off mass of 47.3 tons. While the project proved to be of little interest in Russia, it did attract a major from India in the late 1990s.

Thus, the Il-214 project - known as MTA aircraft (Multipurpose Transport Aircraft) and the IRTA (Indo-Russian Transport Aircraft) - was included in the RussianIndian program on military and technical cooperation for a period through 2010.

As a prototype of the new airplane, a military transport project of IL-214 aircraft was selected, the one that is being examined by the Air Force of Russia as a replacement for the obsolete Antonov An12 as well as An-26 By expert evaluation, the IL-214 could become a good alternative for the C-130, C-160, C-123, G-222 aircraft that operate in dozens of countries of the world in huge numbers. Financing of the project is planned in equal shares of the Parties. The production would possibly be run at both

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Indian HAL Corporation factory and the JSC "IAIA".

Unlike the Brazilian KC-390 program that dramatically took off in 2009, the Indo-Russian MTA has been in the making since 1999, with the first Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between HAL and the Russian companies Ilyusihin and Irkut in 2001. It took six years for the parties to agree on common requirements and specifications for the plane The inclusion of the Russian defense export agency is expected to streamline export activities to countries where Russia has extensive defense exports, particularly in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East where MTA will run head to head with the Brazilian KC-390.

The twin-jet powered MTA will have a Maximum Take-Off Weight of 65 tons and payload capacity of 15-20 tons. Its length will be 33.2 meters, with a wingspan of 30.1 m’ and height of 10m’. Powered by two Aviadvigatel PD-14 turbofan engines, MTA will be able to cruise at a speed of 800 km/h, to a range of 2,500-2,700 km with full payload. Service ceiling will be 12 km. meeting the requirement of both Indian and Russian Air Forces. The aircraft will feature fly-by-wire system, full authority digital engine control, and avionics suite configured as a modern ‘glass cockpit’.

The MTA will be capable of takeoff and landing from a runway of 1200 meters.

The MTA would be a typical military aircraft, capable of short landings and take-offs and ferrying 80 fully equipped troops, or infantry fighting vehicles like the Soviet origin BMPs and equivalent western systems, artillery pieces and ammunition and also for executing battlefield medical evacuations.

It would be designed to replace India’s

100-plus Soviet vintage AN 32 aircraft, which are now under overhaul and upgrades in Ukraine. The first AN 32 had arrived in India in 1984.

There would be scope for exporting this aircraft, and the plan is to produce a total of 205 aircraft.

India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) already cleared the contribution for HAL while the Russian government had done this earlier for giving its share through the UAC and Rosoboronexport (ROE), the latter being the sole state-run arms trading Russian company.

The aircraft would have a glass cockpit for electronic instrument displays, fly by wire controls, full authority digital engine control (FADEC) engines, 800 kmph cruise speed, and a range of 2,500 km. The service ceiling would be 12 km.

The joint venture company would be called MTA Ltd, and the aircraft also simply as MTA. Russia has maintained its traditional Soviet days lead in supplying military aircraft to India. Over nearly last one and half decades, it has won orders for supplying nearly $ 20 billion worth of aircraft, systems and support elements including maintenance and upgrades for 272 SU 30 MKI combat jets, 139 Mi 17 V5 helicopters, and upgrades for SU 30 as well as old Mig 21bis and Mig 29 aircraft.

The two countries had signed the Intergovernmental Agreement for the MTA project in November 2007 after a visit of Defence Minister A K Antony to Moscow.

Sunny Jerome Managing Editor, AEROMAG ASIA Specially for Air Fleet magazine

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Engines

It’s Dassault Vs. Eurofighter

for MMRCA contract in India

The stage is set for the opening of commercial bids for India’s $10.4 billion tender for 126 medium range multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), which will address Indian Air Force’s long-standing demand of replenishing its combat aircraft inventory. The tender saw participation from six global fighter aircraft manufacturing companies – Lockheed Martin and Boeing from America, MiG RCA from Russia, Saab Gripen from Sweden, Eurofighter, a European consortium and Dassault from France.

A long-winded technical and field evaluation process has seen the shortlist whittled down to two contestants –Dassault and Eurofighter.

The opening of the commercial bids would reveal the lowest bidder and allow commercial negotiations to commence.

Reports suggest that though Dassault may boast of low costs, Eurofighter’s offer of industrial partnership may turn out to be a game changer.

French defence minister, Gerard Longuet, and his Indian counterpart, A K Antony, recently held talks in the Indian capital of

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New Delhi. Longuet had a dig at his European counterparts. ‘’We have one single speaking partner (Dassault) instead of four partners (Italy, Germany, Spain and UK),’’ Longuet said, referring to the consortium of EADS, Alenia Aeronautica and BAE Systems, which make the Eurofighter Typhoon through the consortium, Eurofighter GmbH. German ambassador Thomas Matussek, said: ‘’The Typhoon represents the most advanced and cost-efficient machines”.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, on a India visit around the same time, also tried to hard sell the Eurofighter Typhoon

fighter jet, claiming that it was the best plane on offer.

“With the Eurofighter we have made good proposals and want to intensify our relationship with India. The Eurofighter is the best product on offer. We will not exert any influence on the procurement process and we shall wait and see,” said Merkel.

Both US bids for the contract lost because of technical faults – not US export control policies or corruption in New Dehli, reports said.

The IAF selected the Dassault Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon as finalists

Tender for the MMRCA, and excluded the other contenders – the Boeing F/A-18E/F and the Lockheed Martin F-16 – as well as the Saab Gripen and MiG-35.

According to reports, the F-16IN bid received low marks in the technical evaluation for a slow turn rate and poorer handling performance due to the addition of conformal fuel tanks.

Those deficiencies made the F-16IN less competitive in dogfights against older F-16 Block 50s, which are operated by Pakistan.

The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet was the US government’s best shot to win the contract, but it was also hampered in the Indian evaluation by poor manoeuvrability compared to the European fighters.

Boeing’s bid proposed to improve the Super Hornet’s power by introducing the General Electric F414 enhanced performance engine (EPE), with 20% higher thrust, but it was seen as a developmental item.

The IAF preferred an aircraft with strong dogfighting performance over a combat style emphasising beyond visual range engagements using long-range sensors.

Nidhi Goyal, Director, Deloitte in India, said: “In a Medium Multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) deal for the supply of

Eurofighter Typhoon 126 state-of-the-art fighter jets to the Indian Air Force, the selected supplier would require to meet offset obligation of 50% of the foreign exchange component of the value of the total deal of USD 10.8 billion.

Out of which an estimated offset business to an extent of USD 4 billion is likely to be generated for the Indian industry. It is expected to stimulate growth in the Indian defence industry which should be able to absorb the cutting edge technologies to

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acquire domain expertise in aerospace manufacturing and defence electronics.

The Indian industry would also get an opportunity to tie up with defence public sector undertaking in order to build robust independent private defence industry which will eventually substitute imports.

Further, with other big ticket procurements such as maritime aircrafts, helicopters, sea-hawks, anti-submarine warfare in military aerospace segment, business for the Indian industry atleast to the tune of USD 8 billion is likely to flow over a period of 5-10 years.”

The proposals from the contenders were first technically evaluated by a professional team to check for compliance with IAF’s operational requirements and other RFP conditions. Extensive field trials were then carried out to evaluate the performance. Finally, the commercial proposal of the vendors, short-listed after technical and field evaluations, were examined and compared.

The aircraft are likely to be in service for over 40 years. The vendors are required to provide a life time support and performance based warranty for the aircraft. Ministry of Defence officials have confirmed that great care has been taken to ensure that only determinable factors, which do not lend themselves to any sub-

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Tender

Saab Gripen

jectivity, are included in the commercial selection model. The selection would be transparent and fair.

A majority of the MMRCA would be produced in India under transfer of technology. The vendor finally selected would also be required to undertake offset obligations in India. It is expected that the ToT and offset contracts would provide a great technological and economic boost to the indigenous defence industries, which would include DPSUs, RURs and other Boeing F/A-18

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eligible private sector industries. Foreign vendors would be provided great flexibility in effecting tie-up with Indian partners, for this purpose.

There were three guiding principles for this procurement scheme. First, the operational requirements of IAF should be fully met. Second, the selection process should be competitive, fair and transparent, so that best value for money is realised. Lastly, Indian defence industries should get an opportunity to grow to global scales.

According to reports, India aims to ensure that deliveries of the 126 fighters begin from December 2014 onwards to stem IAF’s fast-eroding combat edge.

Plans were afoot to base the first MMRCA squadron in the western sector, most probably at Ambala, by end-2015.

The first 18 jets will come in “fly-away condition” from the aviation major – only Eurofighter Typhoon (EADS) and French Rafale (Dassault) are now left in contention – finally selected for the project.

Subsequent batches of the 108 fighters, to be manufactured in India by Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) after transfer of technology, will progressively be based in other operationally relevant locations, with special focus on the eastern front with China.

“The first fighter built in HAL should roll out in December 2016. Thereafter, HAL will deliver six jets per year, which will go up to 20 per year later. HAL will achieve 85% technology absorption by the end,’ sources said.

With plans clearly chalked out, MoD ruled out any scope for comebacks by the eliminated four fighters – American F/A-18 ‘Super Hornet’ (Boeing) and F-16 ‘Super Viper’ (Lockheed Martin), Swedish Gripen (Saab), and Russian MiG-35 (United Aircraft Corporation).

“We should be ready to open the Typhoon and Rafale commercial bids in July,’’ sources said. Thereafter, it will take

Tender another month to determine the lowest bidder (L-1) because of “huge mathematical and data verification’’ of the lifecycle costs of operating the jets over a 40-year period. Commercial negotiations with the L-1 vendor will then begin before the final contract is ready for signing by December.

Sources said only Rafale and Typhoon were found “compliant’’ on all the 643-660 technical attributes or ASQRs (air staff qualitative requirements) laid down to meet IAF’s specific operational requirements.

“Our test pilots flew 222 sorties, over 270 hours, on the six fighters in different weather conditions in India and abroad.

Each vendor was informed of its jet’s performance at every stage... they have no reason to complain,’’ sources said.

On the crucial AESA (active electronically scanned array) radar, which is operational only on American fighters at present, MoD said the ASQRs did “not require a flying AESA radar’’. Instead, vendors had to demonstrate “a baseline radar model in flight or on a test-bed, the complete working model in a lab and how it would be integrated’’ on the Indian MMRCA. Overall, MoD and IAF are confident there are “enough safeguards’’ built into the project, which include “performancebased logistics’’ to ensure India “gets the best machine, spares and product support’’.

Just why has the Indian Air Force (IAF) short-listed the French Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon ahead of four other contenders, including the US F-16 and F/A-18 fighters, for the contract?

The down selection at the end of a prolonged evaluation of the six fighter jets was evidently based on the fact that the Rafale and the Typhoon were the most modern airframes and better equipped compared to F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-16 IN of the US, MiG-35 of Russia, and JAS-39 Gripen of Sweden, media reports said.

The Rafale and the Typhoon met most of the 630 technical attributes mentioned in the request for proposal (RFP) by the ministry of defence, while the others lacked A I R F L E E T

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Lockheed Martin F-16

either in performance or had limitations in terms of future upgrades.

“Rafale figures a notch higher than Typhoon in terms of performance and involves easier adaptability as it is logistically and operationally similar to Mirage-2000, used extensively by our boys during the Kargil conflict in 1999.

The French government has also cleared the technology transfer, including the AESA (active electronically scanned array) radar,” sources in the IAF said.

The other discreet offering by Dassault Aviation too made sense: save on the $1.5 billion project to upgrade 52 Mirage-2000 jets by acquiring the Rafale.

Interestingly, all six fighters were in the race till April 17, the deadline for submission of modified offset proposals. The representatives of these firms were informed of the Union government’s decision to relax the offset policy mentioned in the request for proposal (RFP).

The original rider that half the value of the $ 10.5 billion contract be passed on to domestic firms was modified, fixing it at 30 per cent of the deal. “We were all expect-

ing a word on extension of commercial proposals on the last day, April 28, but got to know that only Dassault Aviation and Eurofighter have been invited for discussions,” said a representative of Saab AB. Those who lost out have made it known that they would raise issues concerning the price and other attributes of Rafale and Typhoon. The two aircraft are said to be the highest priced among those in the contest when looked at from a unit price point of view. Second, the Eurofighter’s AESA radar is still under development. Only the two US fighters have operational AESA radars on them.

If India finally picks the Rafale, it would be only the second air force after the French Air Force to induct these fighters into its fleet. India has asked Dassault SA and Eurofighter GmbH to hold their price bids until the end of the year. The deal is expected to be signed by March 2012.

Sunny Jerome Managing Editor, AEROMAG ASIA Specially for Air Fleet magazine

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