THE AN-148 IS THE REGIONAL PASSENGER AIRCRAFT OF A NEW GENERATION

     In cooperation with enterprises of 14 countries of the world Antonov ASTC develops a family of AN-148 regional twin-jets intended for passenger, cargo-passenger and cargo transportations on regional and short-haul air routes. New airplanes are intended to replace the AN-24, Tu-134, Yak-40 and Yak-42.

     According to the requirements of potential customers partners on AN-148 programme develop the the following versions of the aircraft family:

     68-85- seat versions:

• AN148100A with a service range of 2000-3000 km;
• AN148100B with a service range of 3000-4000 km;
• AN148100E with a service range of 4000-4400 km.

     modifications:

• versions with increased passenger capacity;
• versions with maximum comfort level for passengers;
• freighter with a side cargo door;
• freighter with a rear cargo ramp;
• passengercargo (combi) aircraft;
• specialpurpose aircraft.

     The design solutions implemented in the AN-148 family aircraft provide the new airplanes with a number of advantages. One of them is considerably higher level of engine and wing structure protectability from damage with foreign objects provided due to scheme of a high-wing monoplane with engines on pylons under the wing. AN-148 can be safety operated at poor-equipped, unpaved, ice- and snow-covered runways. APU, airborne system of registration of systems’ status and also high level of the aircraft systems’ operatability and reliability allow to use AN-148-100 almost at all the aerodromes. Due to convenient position of the under-floor cargo compartments it is not necessary to use special ground equipment when loading/unloading the baggage.

     Ivchenko-Progress State Enterprise has designed a new Д-436-148 engine for the AN-148 aircraft family. It is equipped with the auto control and monitoring systems, which optimize work of the engine on all the segments of flight, increase its reliability, decrease fuel consumption and cost of service. Engines of AN-148 meet all the modern requirements of ICAO and Eurocontrol. Their assigned life is 40000 hrs, 20000 cycles. The An-148 versions powered by the modern foreign engines having thrust of 6400-8000 kgf are considered as the members of the AN-148 family.

     Modern navigation and radio communication equipment, implementation of multifunction indicators, fly-by-wire system permit to use AN-148 on any air route (including the routes with high-density traffic), under VFR and IFR weather conditions, at day and night. The aircraft is provided with manual and automatic flight control to be used in particular on programmed route. It is able to perform automatic approach by the norms of the I and II ICAO categories, horizontal and vertical navigation, take-off and landing under SID and STAR rules. Automatic monitoring of the systems status during a flight and automatized one on the ground with informing the crew and maintenance staff are provided on the aircraft.

     The level of the AN-148 passenger compartment comfort corresponds to those ones of the modern long-range airplanes. It is reached due to rational layout of service premises, ergonomic optimization of common and individual spaces of passenger cabin, use of modern seats, interior’s design and materials, as well as comfortable climatic conditions and low noise level. The passengers compartment is equipped with the informational - entertaining. Passengers can use mobile phones and internet in a flight. Hand luggage can be placed into the closable over-head shelves. The total volume of these shelves of 4,2 cubic m is the biggest in the class of regional and short-range aircraft. The total volume of baggage and cargo compartments situated under the passenger compartment floor and in the tail part of AN-148 is 14,6 cubic m.

     The complex of aviation security measures is provided at AN-148. The aircraft is equipped with bullet-proof doors, communication between crew and flight attendants, the video observation system, the place for weapon and ammunition storage, masked approaches, antitheft devices, special means for placing an explosive device in case of finding it onboard during a flight.

     Maintenance of the AN-148 meets the international standards requirements (ICAO, MSG-3) and provides support of the aircraft airworthiness within the operational life cycle on conditions with the activity of up to 300-375 hrs per month with the coefficient of readiness more than 99% with minimization of expenditures on maintenance (1,3 per/hr per 1 flight hour; 30 min.- transit maintenance (A1); and 2 hours to replace an engine).

     On February 26, 2007 the AN-148 airplane, its engine Д-436-148 and APU AИ-450-MC got the Certificates issued by the Aviation Register of Interstate Aviation Committee and State Aviation Administration of Ukraine.

     The aircraft certification was conducted in accordance with CБ-148 certification basis developed on the base of CIS АП-25 requirements and CS-25 European ones. The AN-148 meets noise requirements of Chapter IV of the Annex 16 of the ICAO Convention, (volume I “Aviation noise” with amendments till the seventh inclusive) and requirements of Part 36 of АП-36 Aviation Rules. As to the emission the aircraft meets the requirements of the chapter of Annex 16 of the ICAO Convention (volume II “Emission of the aviation engines” with the amendments till the fourth including) and АП-34 Aviation Rules requirements.

     AN-148 performed the first flight on December 17, 2004.

     In March 2005 it confirmed the design characteristics in flights at the big angles of attack. The airplane was put into a stall mode at various altitudes. It was done at positions of wing high-lift devices and landing gear, typical for different phases of a passenger jet’s flight. In almost all configurations the aircraft clearly distinguished natural indications of approach to a stall. Behavior of the airplane at angles of attack corresponding to a stall and during recover from the stall was auspicious and complied with the Aviation Rules requirements.

     Tests under natural icing conditions were important for the safe operation of the aircraft in Russia. In April 2005, the AN-148 completed them successfully in Arkhangelsk region. 14 flights with total duration of 40.5 hrs were performed. During the flights the maximal intensity of ice accretion was 3.33 mm per minute at the temperature of outdoor air of - 23°C. It was necessary to check-up: work of antiicing system (AIS) of wing, tail unit, engine air intakes; ice detectors; automatic AIS subsystems control, as well as estimation of cockpit windows heating effectiveness. Forms and sizes of the ice deposit on wing and stabilizer surfaces were studied both with functioning and disconnected AIS. Besides, during practical flights aerodynamic characteristics at normal functioning of AIS and when simulating failures of the wing and horizontal tail AIS were confirmed. Fuel consumption during flight with icing was measured. Behavior of the aircraft with icing and one engine failure simulation as well as the work of flight and navigation equipment and other ones was studied. Technologies of carrying out different forms of the aircraft technical service when operating under northern conditions were developed.

     In July 2005 both AN-148 were tested under the absolutely different conditions having performed a number of flights in Uzbekistan where the temperature of an ambient air reached +45°C. Then they flew to Armenia and started the following phase of tests – under conditions of high mountains. AN-148s based at Gumri airport placed 1,525 m above the sea level.

     The results of tests shown that real characteristics met the design ones, and confirmed the safety of the AN-148 aircraft family operation under conditions of high temperature of ambient air and high mountains. Thus the aircraft can be operated safely in the Southern regions of Russia, countries of Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America.

     In August 2005 the AN-148 programme of flights was continued. In particular major completely characteristics of stability and controllability of the aircraft were checked. The noise level was studied, the flights in order to determine minimal lift-off speeds including those ones with engine failure simulation were performed. The necessary mathematical provision was worked out. The important stage of the certification process became the flights with 5 variants of ice simulators glued on the wing under the hardest conditions of icing. Those tests were necessary for checking behavior of the aircraft under the hardest conditions of icing. The certification tests on passengers and crew evacuation in case of an emergency landing were also completed. They were fulfilled at night with a number of complicating factors including objects of hand baggage scattered along the passenger compartment. As it is stipulated by certification rules, the emergency exits from one board of the airplane only were used for evacuation. 74 persons who were onboard left the airplane within 47 seconds while the norm was 90 seconds.

     During the period from December 27, 2005 to January 29, 2006 the first and second AN-148 prototypes carried out the full cycle of tests on the ground and in the air under the temperature of down to -52 °C and completely confirmed the possibility of operation under such severe climatic conditions. On the aircraft starts of the main engines and APU were performed. Operation of air conditioning, air pressure control systems, avionics, furnishing equipment as well as control, hydraulic, fuel systems and landing gear was tested. The gas dynamics stability of main engines and gravity fuel feed were tested as well. AN-148’s take-off and landing characteristics, its engines’ altitude-airspeed performance were tested. The tests had been fulfilled in accordance with the programme, approved by designers of the airplane, airborne equipment and certification centres, Aviation Register of Interstate Aviation Committee and State Aviation Service of Ukraine.

     In June the AN-148-100B completed an important stage of certificate tests on determination of aircraft compliance with general airworthiness requirements while simulating failure of the hydraulic, fuel, flight control, other systems, engine and APU. Within this stage AN-148 prototype performed 23 flights. As a result, it was proved that according to the modern airworthiness requirements AN-148 design provides the aircraft safety completion of a flight in case of any its important onboard system failure. It was reached due to doubling and redundancy of the main systems as well as timely disclosure the failures occurred and change the channels with reserve ones.

     During the certification test programme both AN-148 prototypes performed about 600 flights as a total. Strength and fatigue tests were also completed.

     In November 2007 AN-148 passed tests on extension of operation conditions on unpaved RWs. In the result it has been proved the aircraft can be successfully used on such airfields.

     The aircraft was successfully demonstrated at Moscow air shows MAKS in 2005 and 2007,at Aviasvit-XXI held in Kiev in June 2006 and at Paris Air Show Le Bourget-2007 in June 2007.

     The AN-148 production has been already started. License contracts on manufacture of AN-148 aircraft were signed with Voronezh Aircraft Building Joint Stock Company and SE Kyiv Aviation Plant “Aviant”.

     Airlines of Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan stated their intention to purchase approximately 100 AN-148 aircraft. Till present, the contracts on delivery of AN-148s were signed with KrasAir, Russia, Polyot, SCAT, Berkut airlines.

     7 aircraft are in production at SE Kyiv Aviation Plant “Aviant”. Voronezh Aircraft Building JSC (Russia) constructed and delivered to Kyiv aggregates for three aircraft. Antonov ASTC participates in the aircraft serial production as well. It makes elements of passenger compartment interior, titanic piping of the anti-icing system, elements of doors and hatches, other units.

     Besides, according to the wishes of customers ANTONOV ASTC develops a transport version of the aircraft with the cargo capacity of up to 20 t equipped with tail cargo hatch. This aircraft can add the AN-148 cargo versions with side doors developed earlier. Leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Kyrgyz and Tajikistan expressed their interest in purchasing of VIP-versions of AN-148.

     The active commercial start of the AN-148 programme can be explained with the aspriration of the partners on its realization to take into account the wishes of potential customers while developing a new airliner. The airlines of CIS countries influenced on a choice of the AN-148 basic project parameters and became the full-right participants of its development.

     The AN-148 programme is being fulfilled on principles of risks sharing. Cooperation on AN-148 programme is based on the firm legal ground. At the Aviasvit –XXI exhibition of 2004 in Kiev leaders of SE Kyiv Aviation Plant “Aviant” , Kharkov State Aircraft Manufacturing Company, IFC and Voronezh Joint Stock Aircraft Building Company signed the “Agreement of interaction while affiliated repetition work, sale and technical support of operation of AN-148 aircraft”.

     Enterprises-participants of the “Agreement…” agreed to lead the common policy when realizing AN-148 programme, with that each of them takes the risk upon itself and accounts for within its sphere of activity. In order to coordinate works on the programme the Council of the Leaders whose decisions are obligatory for enterprises-partners is being established. Thus the mechanism allowing airlines to purchase, to operate and to maintain AN-148 type’s aircraft after sale was developed.

     Beside the above-mentioned enterprises the companies of many countries of the world are involved in realization the AN-148 programe. Among them are:

• Ukrainian Motor Sich JSC, Juzhmach Plant, UKRNIIRA JSC, NII Buran, Aviacontrol JSC, KhADB, Ukranalit JC, STC Electroprylad JSC.
• Russian ones – Aviapribor – Holding JSC (Moscow), UDBP JSC (Ulyanovsk), Joint Avia Teploobmennik JSC (Nizhniy Novgorod), Aerosyla-Electromash JSC (Moscow), Techpribor JSC (Saint-Peters-burg), Rubin JS;
• French: Deutch, Filotex, Thales, LIEBHERR;
• German: Litef, Goodrich Hella Aerospace, Hawker, PALL Corporation GmbH, Monogram System;
• American: Rockwell Collins, ASCC;
• English Raychem, Dunlop Aircraft Tyres Limited.