India's requirement for the Ilyushin Il-214 airlifter to take-off at maximum weight from a 3,5000m (7,700ft) runway at a 40°C (88°F) ambient temperature has forced its developers, Russia's Irkutsk Aircraft Production Association (IAPO), Ilyushin and India's Hindustan Aeronautics, to increase engine thrust from 17,600-20,000lb (78-88kN) to 24,000-26,500lb.
The twin-turbofan Il-214 will carry up to 20,000kg (44,000lb) at a 55,000kg take-off weight.
The change will delay engine selection, with a revised specification to be issued in May and a winner selected by year-end. The favoured engine had been the ZMKB Progress D-436, but the most powerful version, the T3, is rated at only 22,000lb-thrust.
Aviadvigatel general designer Aleksandr Inozemtsev says the company is now offering the PS-12 rather than the PS-9, both developed using technology from the larger PS-90 turbofan. Aviadvigatel has teamed with PMZ, Klimov and MMPP Salyut on development and production.
Inozemtsev says: "There is space in the programme for more than one engine," adding that two design houses and two production plants are petitioning Russia state aerospace agency Rosaviacosmos to prevent a "winner-takes-all" decision.
Source: Flight International
