Company aims to deliver 100-seat model in 2006 and discusses Westernised version
Antonov has revealed plans to develop a stretched, 100-seat version of the An-148 regional jet, and proposes to offer a version powered by General Electric CF34 engines for western markets.
Developed from the 82-seat An-148-100, the larger -200 variant will be available from 2006, offering a range of 3,500km (1,890nm).
The Ukranian design bureau is also offering longer-range variants which trade payload for greater range - up to 5,100km.
A 10- to 30-seat business jet version is also planned, which will have a range of 7,300-8,700km and an uprated version of the 14,100lb thrust (62.7kN) ZMKB Progress D-436-148 engines providing an additional 1,000lb of thrust.
Antonov deputy general designer Oleg Bogdanov says that the GE CF34 engine will be available on versions offered to the western market. He adds that talks are under way with EADS about participation in the project.
GE is more circumspect over the progress of a CF34-powered An-148 variant and says "preliminary discussions were held late last year with Antonov, but currently we consider this as an inactive programme". The company confirms, however, that talks centred on a version of the higher-thrust CF34-10 family currently in final development for Embraer regional jet programmes.
Bogdanov has also provided details of changes to the An-148 production allocation, which now sees Kharkov-based KhGAPP making the fuselage centre section; Kiev-based Aviant the wing (excluding centre section); NPO YuzhMash in Dnepropetrovsk the landing gear; and VASO in Voronezh the engine nacelles, and tail and nose sections.
Aircraft destined for Russian airlines will be assembled at VASO, and will be available on operating leases through Ilyushin-Finance. KhGAPP was to build An-148s for the Ukranian market, but may have to transfer this to Aviant. It does not have the capacity if there is high demand for the An-140 regional turboprop and An-74 freighter which it also builds.
The An-148 prototype is being completed at Antonov's experimental plant in Kiev and is due to fly in July, with the second flight in October. Russian and Ukrainian certification is planned for October 2005 and first deliveries for the end of that year. The first five aircraft should be completed during 2005.
VLADIMIR KARNOZOV / MOSCOW
Source: Flight International
