Russian analysts are testing air intakes for an electric system intended to provide improved lift on a proposed regional aircraft programme.
The work is part of the Integral-RS research project and tied to a potential aircraft which would replace Yakovlev Yak-40s and Antonov An-24s.
The aircraft, according to the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, would be designed to take off from rough, short runways in remote regions.
It would feature an electric impeller distributed power unit to increase the load-bearing capability of the wing.
Windtunnel research has been carried out into the characteristics of the air intake in cruise flight, simulating its operation at speeds of 260-400kt.
Researchers examined airflow dynamics and pressure profiles at the engine inlet, to explore the effects of angle-of-attack and sideslip.
The institute says the results will assist preparation of an experimental wing section to be tested on a Yak-40 flying laboratory.
With the impeller system, says the institute’s integrated technology centre deputy head Evgeny Pigusov, the lift coefficient of the wing can “significantly increase”, reducing the length of the take-off run.
Institutes including the Zhukovsky national research centre, the Central Institute of Aviation Motors, and the Siberian aviation research centre SibNIA are co-operating on the initiative.
