As the Sukhoi Superjet 100 and Antonov An-158 attract the attention of spectators at Farnborough, the team behind the former aircraft is hopeful that the problems that have dogged its development are now in the past.
Delays from engine manufacturer PowerJet, which is providing the SaM146 for the Superjet, have led to what Alexey Fedorov, chairman of United Aircraft, diplomatically describes as "some shifts from the original schedule". First deliveries were originally planned for 2008, but are now set for late this year. However, he adds: "We believe these are the very last of the shifts."
He declines to go into details of the powerplant problems, other than to say: "Our engine-makers believed they could do better than they actually can."
Sukhoi has previously pointed fingers at Saturn NPO, the Russian part of the PowerJet joint venture, while French partner Snecma's part in the project seems to have gone smoothly.
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However, all certification paperwork for the engines has been completed and, in a pre-show interview in Moscow, Fedorov predicted engine certification would be achieved by July. "That would enable us to complete our part of the work on certification of the aircraft."
Fedorov is clear that the first production aircraft will finally be in the hands of Russian flag carrier Aeroflot and Armenia's Armavia by the end of this year. Compensation will not be paid to airlines that have suffered delivery delays, he says. "Because we worked very closely with those airline customers and talked to them regularly, we managed to find an understanding with them, so there will be no compensation."
The economic crisis of the past two years helped in this, he says, because drops in passenger numbers meant that demand for new equipment was muted. And he insists there was no intervention from the Russian government to dissuade Aeroflot or others from seeking financial recompense for the delays.
Certainly, testing on the 100-seat Superjet is proceeding apace. In May it passed the critical engine "blade off" test when one of its 2.2kg (4.8lb) titanium blades was deliberately separated to check the integrity of the engine and its casing.
And in June, Sukhoi says the aircraft successfully completed water ingestion tests at its flight-test centre at Zhukovsky, outside Moscow. In a fillip for the Sukhoi team, it was also announced in May that the aircraft would be adopted by the Russian presidential fleet.
The 99-seat Antonov An-158, meanwhile, will also be making its first appearance at Farnborough, having made its maiden flight as recently as late April. This stretched version of the baseline 68- to 85-seat An-148, which began airline service with Ukraine's AeroSvit in June last year, makes extensive use of composites. The basic design is intended to grow into a family of variants, including two freighter versions of the An-158 and a business jet, the An-168.
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Ilyushin Il-112. The production line for this light military transport is now being outfitted with tooling, and a prototype is planned for 2011. Despite relatively little having been heard of the programme recently, "it is wrong to assume it is dying away", says Fedorov.
Antonov An-124. The super-heavy freighter has been the subject of a campaign by freight specialist Volga-Dnepr Airways, which has been keen to see the type restored to production. However, according to Fedorov, "our understanding is that the first customer might be the Russian ministry of defence".
Russian president Dmitri Medvedev last January stated the intent to order 20 and much will depend on the government's planned rearmament programme, says Fedorov. If it goes ahead, "naturally it will give a boost to the [An-124] project. This year is decision time."
The Russian defence ministry may not be the largest customer for new An-124s, but a state order could be more secure than those from commercial operators, says Fedorov. "In our business plan we anticipate that the commercial airlines might place orders that are comparable to those from the defence ministry, but most of the technical and economic risks connected with resumption of production we anticipate will be largely carried by the state customers."
Ilyushin Il-476. Assembly of the first prototype of the modernised, re-engined freighter is now under way, with flight tests due to start next year. "Because this aircraft is based on the baseline Il-76, we don't expect those flight tests will take long and anticipate starting deliveries in 2012," says Fedorov.
Again, much depends on the planned Russian rearmament programme. Fedorov is hopeful of a large military order for this latest iteration of the rugged four-engined load-hauler.
The new PS-90A-76 powerplants will comply with International Civil Aviation Organisation Chapter 4 noise regulations and allow the type once again to be operated by civil carriers into noise-sensitive European Union airspace, from which earlier versions have been banned for several years now.
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Antonov An-148. Production of the regional jet is ramping up, says Fedorov. Two aircraft were delivered in 2009, seven will come off the production line this year, rising to 12 annually, then 24, which Fedorov believes will be "sufficient to support sales".
He foresees production of the stretched An-158 in Ukraine adding a modest additional 12 aircraft a year to the total, giving a maximum combined output of 36 aircraft annually.
Beriev Be-200. The multipurpose amphibian, manufactured by Irkut, is due to receive European Aviation Safety Agency certification this summer. Irkut believes this will boost its prospects, but is realistic that the aircraft is a highly specialised type with a limited market.
The aircraft has performed creditably in fighting forest fires in southern Europe in recent years, but the company accepts that the countries to which it is most attractive - Greece, Spain and Portugal - probably cannot afford it, especially against the background of their strained national financial positions.
Russia's emergency situations ministry has four of the type in service, with a further eight on order. The ministry has proposed the creation of an international rapid-reaction fire-fighting squadron that would deploy to tackle blazes as they break out.
Source: Flight Daily News