A hushkit has been certificated for the Antonov An-124 which enables the cargo aircraft to comply with the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) Chapter 3 noise legislation .
The approval marks the first step towards the modification of all An-124s to Chapter 3 rules as additional hushkits become available. These will be installed as the aircraft undergo major maintenance. The ICAO Chapter 3 approval also enables the aircraft to be compliant with US Federal Aviation Administration Stage 3 legislation.
The hushkit was developed by the Progress Design Bureau, which designed the An-124's D-18T turbofan, in conjunction with Antonov. The new kit required some 15 months of testing and production modifications.
Paul Furlonger, commercial manager of Air Foyle, Antonov's general sales agent, says that the kit modification basically involves "-drilling a very large number of microscopic holes in part of the nacelle", adding that the kit is needed as the FAA rules demanding progressive phase out of Stage 2 aircraft are beginning to affect US operations of the aircraft.
Source: Flight International
