The An-158 airliner, whose photo is located below, is one of the distant modifications of the popular and successful An-148 model. The main purpose of this aircraft is considered to be air transportation of passengers in regional and local directions. It should be noted that its production under the An-148-200 brand was originally planned. However, over time, the developers, representatives of the Antonov Design Bureau ("Antonov KB"), renamed the new product. Feedback from engineers and many experts in this field characterize the model as a ship that fully complies with the latest requirements for environmental friendliness and flight safety.
Key differences from its predecessor
As noted above, the An-148 aircraft became the base for the new model. First of all, in comparison with this modification, the novelty received a more spacious interior. In particular, the maximum possible number of transported people, in addition to crew members, amounted to 99 passengers. This was achieved by the designers of Antonov KB, largely due to the increase (by two and a half meters) in the length of the passenger compartment. In addition, more spacious luggage racks were installed in the airliner for passengers. The most important engineering solution was to improve the design of the wings. This has reduced direct operating costs by about 12 percent, and aircraft fuel consumption, by 3 percent.
Development
In 2009, the design development of the new model of the An-158 airliner was completed. Representatives of more than two hundred enterprises located in the territory of fifteen states from different parts of the planet took an active part in this work. One cannot but focus on the fact that approximately seventy percent of all component parts and assemblies for this model are manufactured and supplied by domestic companies.
Construction and official prototype debut
Creating a debut instance in time took about one year. It was a substantially rebuilt previous modification (An-148). Designers in the literal sense of the word redrawn the plane and lengthened its body. This decision made it possible to install 14 more seats inside. In mid-September 2009, work began on the internal re-equipment of the liner. Most of the units and components were borrowed from the previous modification. Along with this, the novelty received a number of improvements and innovations. On April 21, 2010 in Kiev, the representatives of Antonov KB demonstrated to the press an experimental model of the new model.
Serial production started in the second half of 2010 at the Antonov Aviation Production Plant. The cost of one instance of such an aircraft is approximately thirty million US dollars, however, it may vary depending on its configuration.
First flight
The novelty made its debut (test) flight a week after the presentation - April 28, 2010. The ship took off from the territory of the Kiev factory airfield, after which it successfully landed in Gostomel (Kiev region). Then the pilots raised the plane to a height of 8600 meters. According to the testers, the model was characterized by high stability and excellent handling at all altitudes tested. Crew members did not make a single comment on the flight results.
Certification
At the flight test stage, all passenger airplanes are checked for compliance with the actual flight data with the design characteristics under various operating conditions. An-158 was no exception. This is not surprising, because the relevant certificates giving the right to commercial use of aircraft can be obtained only by their results. As a rule, the testing and certification process takes about four years. In the case of this aircraft, this time was significantly reduced, because only new characteristics were tested, which were not borrowed from the An-148. As a result, on February 28, 2011 the certification of the new product was completely completed.
The model boasts the presence of certificates of the aviation interstate committee of the countries that are part of the CIS, as well as the state Ukrainian aviation administration for full compliance with the AP-25 rules. In addition, the ship has documents giving it the right to operate it on American and European lines for transporting 86 passengers at a distance of up to 3100 kilometers and 99 passengers - at a distance of up to 2500 kilometers. Among other things, the machine is certified in the ICAO category, where it received a IIIA rating, which means the possibility of its take-off and landing in difficult weather conditions. Here, the decision-making height is at around 30 meters, and the visibility on the runway is 200 meters.
Appearance
As already mentioned above, the An-148 modification became the base for the airliner. Related to this is the external similarity of the two models. Due to two additional sections, the overall fuselage length increased. The first of them has a length of 1150 millimeters and is located in the bow, and the second, 550 millimeters long, is located right behind the center section. As a result, the silhouette of the An-158 is more graceful. The total length of the airliner is 34.36 meters, while the height of the ship is 8.6 meters.
It should be noted that the basic version of the aircraft allows you to upgrade it in a variety of options, depending on the tasks that are planned to be carried out due to it. In particular, it is possible to create military transport, freight, passenger-and-freight, sanitary and other modifications of a specialized purpose on the basis of the model.
Chassis and wings
The novelty did not need to strengthen the chassis. This is due to the fact that the largest take-off mass of the airliner has not changed compared to the previous version. It is similar to the An-148-100E aircraft and amounts to 43.7 tons. At the same time, one cannot fail to note the fact that an increase in the maximum possible number of passengers carried by lengthening the hull led to a decrease in the practical flight range by about 400 kilometers.
The An-158 aircraft received a substantially modernized wing. Thanks to the installation of end aerodynamic surfaces on it, the size of fuel consumption by an airliner decreased. As for the tail, it differs in a T-shaped design. The wingspan is 28.91 meters, and its area is 84.32 square meters.
Specifications
In the role of the power plant in the An-158 model, two D-436-148 turbojet engines are used, which are built by Motor Sich and provide traction, which is 6,730 kilograms. The development of these units involved Zaporizhzhya Design Engineering Bureau "Progress". The cruising speed of the vessel is 820 km / h, while the maximum is 870 km / h. A car consumes an average of 1,650 kilograms of fuel per hour. The flight ceiling is set at 12,500 meters. The maximum distance this regional aircraft can fly is 3,100 kilometers. The largest take-off weight of the vessel is 43,700 kg, and the payload mass is 9,800 kg.
Cockpit
The crew consists of two people. In the cockpit, a complex of modern avionics is installed, which includes five modern multifunction displays with LCD indicators. They are designed to control all on-board units and systems, and also display all the necessary flight information. All systems, maintenance, management and operation of the vessel are highly unified for their predecessor - the An-148 model. In this regard, these passenger planes (the photo is a vivid confirmation of this) are very similar not only externally, but also internally. This feature is quite convenient, since there is no need to additionally train pilots for the new modification, as well as ground personnel who perform routine maintenance.
Operational capabilities
Separate words deserve the characteristics of its operational capabilities in the An-158 airliner. In particular, a car can make flights both in the daytime and at night, even in rather difficult meteorological conditions. This even includes natural icing conditions when the air temperature is around -30 degrees Celsius. In general, the aircraft is designed for temperature conditions, ranging from -55 to +45 degrees. For takeoff and landing, aerodromes that are located at altitudes from -300 to +3000 meters above sea level are suitable. The ability to operate the model under such conditions was proved after a series of tests. In particular, in February 2011, the aircraft made 16 flights in Iran, and in November 2013 it was tested at the high altitude airfields of Bolivia and Ecuador.
Customers
An-158 aircraft nowadays occupies a worthy place in the market of regional airliners. The first serious order for the model came from Panama in the summer of 2011. Then a contract was signed for the supply and further after-sale service of twenty cars. In April 2013, the Cuban aviation company Cubana de Aviacion acquired three aircraft of this model, and then placed an order for three more copies. In general, air carriers from Latin America, Africa, Asia, as well as Russia and Ukraine announced their intention to acquire more than a hundred An-158 ships.
Currently, engineers at Antonov Design Bureau are actively working to increase the level of comfort for passengers and crew. In addition, the possibilities and prospects of the construction of cargo and specialized versions of the airliner capable of performing various tasks of military transport or civil aviation are considered.