The aircraft industry in our country has deep roots and a very glorious history. It is all the more offensive to observe how at present Russian aviation often depends heavily on foreign suppliers. Fortunately, recently the long-expected course has been taken towards the full substitution of imports. But immediately the problem arose of creating our own transport aircraft.
Until recently, this work was carried out jointly with the Ukrainian Antonov Design Bureau, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to conduct business with these enterprises. Among other things, the Russian military was not happy with the attitude of the Ukrainian side to supplies and developments. Simply put, in almost ten years, Antonov has not been able to offer anything fundamentally new.
Soon after, our state gave an official start to its own program, the result of which should be a completely new transport aircraft of domestic production Il-476. Now the work on its creation is in full swing.
About modernization and other aspects
It is known that the main backbone of military and civil transport aviation in our country was the old IL-76, which was inherited from the USSR. The first aircraft of this class nominally took off on May 5, 1973. Production was conducted for a long time at the Tashkent Aircraft Plant. The history of production totals about 40 years. In total, they managed to collect about a thousand of these machines, and about a hundred of them were exported.
But today's realities involve the creation of a much different machine, more spacious, with an increased flight range. Actually, back in 1989, immediately after the campaign in Afghanistan, the Soviet leadership finally established its opinion on the need to produce such an aircraft. In general, it was quite feasible to launch production of modernized aircraft, since at about the same time the production of new, economical PS-90A engines was already launched at the plant. But at that time in Tashkent it was not possible to establish their release.
Replacing critical systems
So what is the difference between the new IL-476? To many. First of all, experts almost completely replaced the wing. The latest PS-90A-76 engines were installed. Their thrust is 14,500 kgf (in cruising mode), and profitability is 12-15% higher. Thanks to this, the flight range was immediately increased to five thousand kilometers. And what is the fuel consumption of the IL-476 ? It is 0.59 kg / kgf * h, which is significantly less than the previous machine.
The number of crew members is five people. The carrying capacity of the new option is estimated at 60 tons, which can significantly save fuel and financial resources by transporting more cargo for fewer flights.
Take flight in comfort!
In our country, the new IL-476 was the first military transport aircraft that provides a sane level of comfort for the crew in flight. So, there is a full wash basin and toilet. Agree that with a maximum flight range of five thousand kilometers, these details are of no small importance!
The toilet room is located in a special sealed room, which is located in the bow compartment of the aircraft. The volume of the integrated biological waste tank is 28 liters. In principle, this should be enough for one flight to satisfy the needs of the entire crew and several paratroopers. Since the two-deck modification of the IL-476 (photo of which is available in the article) can carry up to one and a half hundred paratroopers, two additional tanks of 80 liters each can be installed.
Immediately before the throw, the use of the toilet room will be unavailable, since according to the rules at this time it is strictly forbidden to unfasten the fastening of the overalls. But with long flights (during military exercises or conducting a real military operation), the importance of this innovation is difficult to overestimate. In this case, you can use the toilet all the time during the flight except for the period of climb and landing.
Although the “toilet” theme does not seem serious at first sight, the airborne veterans recall that sometimes they had to endure for days. This was often reflected in a very negative way on the health of fighters, and therefore, the initiative of domestic aircraft manufacturers in this area is worthy of all praise.
Ecology - first of all!
In accordance with the requirements of recent years, a lot of work has been done in the field of noise reduction and emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere. As a result, the IL-476 meets all the latest ICAO standards. This immediately allowed “open the sky” to new aircraft, not only on almost all domestic routes, but also in the European direction. Brussels has long criticized our aircraft for the high level of noise pollution, but now this problem has been completely eliminated.
Oddly enough, even the events of the 90s at one time could only slow down the development of the project, but not stop it. In the early 2000s, the new Government decided to dramatically speed up work on the new aircraft. At the beginning of 2007, preparatory work began to begin mass production of aircraft in Ulyanovsk.
Key machine specifications
Characteristic | Value |
Flight range, kilometers | 5,000 |
"Ceiling" height, meters | 9000-12000 |
Crew man | 5-6 |
Carrying capacity, tons | 60 |
Number of passengers (including paratroopers), people | 140-250 |
Maximum speed, km / h | 850 |
Aircraft length, meters | 46.6 |
Wingspan, meters | 50,5 |
Empty weight, tons | 88.5 |
Maximum take-off weight, tons | 210 (in fact - 195) |
Immediate plans
It is planned that by 2020 the Ministry of Defense will receive at least 39 new IL-476 aircraft. Recently, pilots have said that it is planned to constantly conduct flights on the upgraded IL-76MD-90A, which will finally identify and eliminate all possible design flaws. Alas, the IL-476 still has some problems that it inherited from the previous model. Prior to the start of mass production, they must be identified and eliminated without fail.
Engine supplies
It is reported that at least 156 PS-90A-76 engines, which are intended for installation on new aircraft, are already being prepared for delivery. The cost of this contract (according to last year) exceeds the mark of one billion US dollars. Their systematic deliveries were supposed to begin last year. Apparently, everything went according to schedule.
The development and assembly of engines was carried out at the Perm Engine Plant, which, almost from the day of its foundation, has been cooperating with the aviation industry and army structures. Simply put, this manufacturer is well aware of the specific conditions that all of its products must withstand.
Stability and manageability!
You should know that the predecessor of the new machine, the Il-76MD-90A, first flew into the air only two years ago. In the cockpit was an experienced crew, commanded by Hero of Russia Nikolai Kuimov. In the air the plane was exactly 1 hour 55 minutes. The commander admitted that the new machine has excellent directional stability, absolutely no complaints arose about its handling.
In October of the same year, the aircraft was first shown to the President of Russia, V.V. To Putin. On the same day, the largest contract at that time was signed between the manufacturer and the Ministry of Defense, under the terms of which by 2020 the army should receive exactly 39 Il-476 aircraft, the characteristics of which greatly impressed the military. The contract value amounted to exactly 140 billion rubles. A considerable gift for the domestic industry, which the authorities in previous years did not indulge in large orders!
First flight test
For the first time , the IL-476 aircraft passed full-scale flight tests last year. According to their results, the machine was found to fully comply with all customer requirements. Further tests and refinement are carried out at the test site belonging to the "Ilu". In the summer of 2013, the new flagship of domestic cargo aviation first appeared before foreign customers. It happened at the famous air show MAKS.
In June last year, the first IL-476, the characteristics of which are given in this article, was finally pumped out of the hangar for assembly. The wing box and the center section were checked for their complete tightness (using fuel). After that, a practically finished plane went for painting. It’s worth dwelling on it in more detail, since this process was seriously adapted to the new Russian aircraft.
Fuselage coloring information
The fact is that for the first time in the history of the Russian aircraft industry, domestic enamels VE-69 and VE-71 of the polyurethane type were used. The paint was specially developed by a whole research institute (of aviation materials) specifically for the IL-476 aircraft. Production allows you to get not a glossy (traditionally used dye), but matte paint.
It is better distributed over the fuselage, has increased properties in the field of protecting the body material from aggressive chemicals. In addition, this dye practically does not wear out. Since transporters often have to fly in extremely difficult conditions, it is impossible to overestimate the importance of such an innovation.
About the "pedigree"
The first plane not only received a coloring book, which was approved by the Ministry of Defense itself, but also its own name “Ulyanovsk”. The name of the city and the coat of arms were specially applied directly to the bow of the car. It is planned to assign the names of those great people whose homeland was the Ulyanovsk Region to all subsequent aircraft of this series.
What is the difference from its predecessor? Opinion of the test pilot
The new IL-476 aircraft, the characteristics of which are detailed in the article, is intended both for the transportation of a wide variety of civilian and military cargoes, and for transporting amphibious weapons, including self-propelled vehicles and light infantry fighting vehicles. Structurally, it is possible to take on board within a half hundred people.
Modern flight and navigation equipment ("glass cockpit") can dramatically reduce the load on the crew, significantly expands visibility and ensures high flight safety. At the workplace of the navigator there is a personal display panel on which the most important flight data is displayed in real time.
Oleg Ganovich, who is a professional test pilot, talks about the differences between the Ukrainian transport An-70 and Il-476: “When starting up, the new engines give excellent acceleration, I was also struck by the new reverse mechanism, thanks to which the speed can be extinguished much faster after landing. I also liked the new indicators showing the speed of climb ... Pilots and engineers now have their own flight indicators that help them make decisions much faster even in difficult situations. "
Work simplification
Simply put, the new Il-476 transport aircraft helps its crew receive and read flight and navigation information faster. The spatial position of a new generation aircraft can be quickly and practically error-free determined in any weather, when flying over all types of terrain. In the previous car, all this was done exclusively by the navigator, the load on which sometimes increased exorbitantly.
Now the IL-476 cockpit (photo is in the article) has so many indicators that any pilot can get all this information, being deprived of the need to be distracted by negotiations with the navigator.
All work on the domestic aircraft was carried out exclusively in electronic form, using the latest computer equipment and special programs. All this made it possible to minimize the probability of design miscalculations and errors. In general, on the old equipment, which still continues to be used in the domestic aircraft industry, it is simply unrealistic to design and produce many new parts for this aircraft.
The current state of the manufacturing plant
Currently, the development of Aviastar-SP, where the new aircraft will be mass-produced, is proceeding at a tremendous pace. It is reported that today in assembly hangars there are at least 13 cars at different stages of assembly. The government has set the goal of bringing production to at least 18 aircraft per year. In addition to the 39 aircraft mentioned repeatedly for army needs, the military wants to order at least 50 more aircraft.
In addition, representatives of the Ministry of Emergencies, who are already planning to buy about six aircraft, showed interest in the new technology. According to representatives of the plant, it is planned to purchase some departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB, as well as a number of foreign customers.
In addition, the plant is engaged in the assembly and repair of An-124-100 Ruslan, which are still many in our country. Tu-204SM aircraft are produced in small quantities. It is also planned to deploy the production of new MS-21 at the facilities of the enterprise. Simply put, the plant currently has enough orders. I am glad that most of them will strengthen the defense capabilities of our country.