Paul Duffy/Novosibirsk
As one of the major Soviet aviation design bureaux, and the only one based outside Russia, Antonov has developed two specialities in its just over 50 years of existence - cargo aircraft and regional airliners. Its latest model to be certificated is the An-38, a 27-passenger twin turboprop, which received its Russian approval in April.
Normally, Antonov's regional aircraft are built in Ukraine, but, when the An-38 programme began, the two Ukrainian production factories were busy. Kiev was making the An-32, still seen as having potential for export, and Kharkov continues to build the An-74. So the Chkalov Aircraft Production Factory in Novosibirsk (NAPO) was chosen to produce the new aircraft.
Work began in April 1989, when Antonov general designer Piotr Balabuev appointed Kmitri Kiva as chief designer of a project to stretch and update the 17-passenger An-28 to meet a need for a larger regional airliner. Although the An-38 bears a family resemblance to the An-28, the work involved so many alterations and improvements that the designers and the maker regard it as a totally new type.
As the Soviet Union fell apart, and Ukraine became autonomous, additional choices became available to Kiva and his team. Because of delays in the design and manufacture of the intended engine, the OMKB TVD-20, when the AlliedSignal TPE331-14GR powerplant and Hartzell propeller, plus Western avionics and interiors, were offered, they were adopted.
In the early 1990s, military budgets were cut drastically in Russia and other CIS republics, and factories producing combat aircraft began to realise that lean times were ahead. NAPO was building the Su-24 - it had been building Sukhoi designs almost exclusively since the early 1960s. Earlier, however, it had been one of the first builders of the An-2, and still maintained contact with Antonov. NAPO general director Aleksander Bobryslov approached the design bureau, and came away with the An-38.
Unusually for Soviet aviation, it was decided to build the prototype at the production factory.
The first prototype was completed early in 1994. On 24 June of that year, it had its first flight, with a crew of three, including a test engineer. The first pilot, Aleksei Khrustitski, described the flight as "normal, uneventful - no problems''.
Funding shortages slowed the test programme, but few snags were encountered in certification trials. GosNII GA (the State Research Institute of Civil Aviation) chief test pilot Aleksander Akimenkov, describes the An-38 as "-very good at picking up momentum in manoeuvres. It has an excellent thrust-to-weight ratio, which will make it suitable for short airfields and mountainous regions.''
Thus, although the aircraft is recommended for runways of 900m (3,000ft), its take-off run with full load is only 375m, and the An-38 reaches a cruising altitude of 13,000ft in just 12min. Cruise speed is about 200kt (370km/h).
The An-38 had its first public appearance during the Flight International/Aviaexport Conference in Moscow in April 1995 at Zhukovski aerodrome, to which the first prototype had been flown from Novosibirsk. The second was shown at the Paris air show in June this year.
The aircraft was certificated on 25 April this year to AP-25, the Soviet/Russian equivalent of US Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part 25. Antonov and NAPO may also seek Western approval, but no decision has yet been taken.
Funding for the certification work came mostly from NAPO. Commercial director Vladimir Nokonov says: "Almost no outside funding, including from Government, has been received. We paid for almost everything.
'Small aviation' difficulties
"The government of the Novosibirsk region is -concerned that 'small aviation' [feeder-service airlines] are having real difficulties with money and old equipment, and have asked us to examine the possibility of providing the two development aircraft to a local airline - possibly even a new company to be set up by NAPO for regional services from Novosibirsk."
NAPO says that it has orders for eight aircraft - three from Vostok Avia and five from Chukotka, in northern Russia. Vostok has paid for Western equipment for its aircraft, but will need some financing for the balance.
"We will complete seven aircraft in 1998 and, if the demand is there, can increase production up to 50 a year. We are conscious of two forthcoming rivals, the Beriev Be-32 and the Sukhoi S-80, but the earliest date for certification of either of these is 1999," says Nokonov.
Vladimir Kuks, project captain for the An-38 with Khabarovsk-based Vostok Avia, says: "The Yakutia region of Russia, which we serve, is difficult to access, and the difficult terrain, poor airports, navigational aids and weather conditions have resulted in accidents in the past few years.
"We decided on the An-38 for several reasons - it has excellent take-off and landing characteristics, a good GPS [global-positioning system] for precise navigation, plus good radar and autopilot equipment. It has enough power to get its load out of difficult terrain. We think it is the best that we have seen for our conditions." Nokonov is also talking to potential An-38 operators in the Indian subcontinent.
Although Russian avionics and instruments are standard equipment, for operators outside the CIS - or those interested within the CIS - powerplant supplier AlliedSignal has developed a Western cockpit, including avionics and instrumentation, for the An-38.
"The availability of Western engines and equipment is a plus for outside [the CIS] customers. We have had considerable interest, and we will have to develop our market and support programmes to turn the interest into sales. Today, we are working with the Tolmatchevo [Novosibirsk Airport] training centre to convert aircrew and maintenance staff onto the An-38 - this is just a first step, and the programme has been approved by Russia's Federal Aviation Service," says Nokonov.
Antonov and NAPO see the An-38-100 (the first production version) as being in a class similar to that of the Shorts 330 and the Casa C-212. Like them, it will be offered for a variety of roles: passenger and cargo versions, ambulance, survey, photographic, maritime-patrol, firefighter, reconnaissance, troop-carrier and paradrop variants are on offer.
Working with the former Aeroflot training centre at Novosibirsk, NAPO can arrange training of flightcrew and technical staff. It describes the An-38's maintenance needs as essentially "on condition" - a feature new in Russia and based around Western experience and equipment on the programme. A major corrosion check will be required on 20-25% of the fleet every six years, and the results of that check will dictate what, if any, work is needed.
Operators may choose between two equipment suites; the basic AlliedSignal Bendix/King Silver Crown, or the Gold Crown, which has a full electronic flight-instrument system, with four display units, and other extras. Standard in both versions is a radio altimeter - a useful tool in mountainous regions.
Fuel-flow rates are given for different altitudes and weights. At 4,200m and 9,300kg, for example, 196kt will result in consumption of 0.36t/h, or 27g/passenger kilometre. Range at the maximum take-off weight of 9,500kg, and with 45min fuel reserve, is 825km (445nm).
The An-38 is seen as a natural successor to the elderly, 11-passenger, An-2,and to the 16- to 19-passenger Let 410, some 600 of which were delivered to the Soviet Union.
Financial and marketing advice
Faced with the challenge of marketing the aircraft, Antonov and NAPO, with support from the Russian Project Finance Bank, asked major international accounting firms to make proposals for the programme, and Price Waterhouse's Moscow Aviation Group was chosen to advise on financing and marketing.
Group leader Jean Michel Jefferson says: "We started by looking closely at the costs. With the foreign engines, propellers, avionics and interiors coming in at $1.65 million and the aircraft provisionally priced at $2.6 million plus VAT [value-added tax], it did not take long to decide that the price did not cover costs. Now, it has risen to $3.6 million plus VAT of $900,000, which will fully cover all outgoings. We looked at what the aircraft was intended to do, then contacted potential users to assess their needs and how the An-38 could meet them. We soon found that funding was going to be the problem, so we are currently working to build a finance structure for the programme."
NAPO has shown flexibility in solving problems, and a good team seems likely to ensure that a much-needed answer for regional airlines in Russia's Far East and other parts of Asia will find a market for the future.
Source: Flight International
