Debate over the reliability and life of the Aviadvigatel Perm PS-90A, the only series-produced turbofan engine in Russia, has raged on during the past year.
Only two PS-90As were manufactured in 1994, and it is believed that none has been built so far this year. Many of the difficulties encountered have been blamed on a critical lack of funding for the technical development of the engine.
A three-year programme, under the auspices of the Russian transport ministry, is under way to boost the performance of the engine. "We have to double the certificated service life and increase the mean time between failure by a factor of three," says Aviadvigatel.
Meanwhile, Aviadvigatel and Pratt & Whitney of the USA have signed a co-operation agreement, calling for the creation of a separate company to manufacture and manage the PS-90 family. P&W have also been working with the Russian Company to develop the upgraded PS-90P.
The PS-90A powers the Ilyushin Il-96-300 and Tupolev Tu-204 airliners, as well as the new "stretched" Il-76MF freighter.
Aviadvigatel continues to support the D-30KU, which is still in widespread service.
Source: Flight International
