The first flight of the TVRS-44 Ladoga twin-engine turboprop passenger aircraft will take place in 2024. Further, the aircraft is expected to undergo large-scale certification tests. This was reported to RT in the press service of the Ural Civil Aviation Plant (UZGA).
"The first flight of the TVRS-44 Ladoga regional aircraft will take place next year, then an extensive certification test program will be carried out," the Yekaterinburg enterprise said.
As expected in UZGA, "Ladoga" will become a "full-fledged all-terrain aircraft." The aircraft will operate at extreme temperatures and in the most difficult natural and climatic conditions.
"The regional car should be unpretentious, so TVRS-44 will take off from asphalt, concrete airfields, and from unpaved, snow strips. This means that Ladoga will be able to be used throughout our country," the UZGA noted.
Also, "Ladoga" will be distinguished by a low noise level and a high level of comfort in the class of regional aviation aircraft. The aircraft will receive "a spacious and bright cabin, comfortable seats, large luggage racks."
"Best in class"
"Ladoga" is created by order of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation to replace the outdated fleet of Soviet small-sized aircraft An-24/26 and Yak-40. According to the Rostec website, TVRS-44 is an extremely popular aircraft of domestic regional aviation.
"In our country, with its vast distances and remote hard-to-reach areas, it is difficult to overestimate the need for an extensive fleet of such machines," the state corporation noted.
- Layout of the TVRS-44 "Ladoga" salon
- © Ural Civil Aviation Plant
In the basic version, TVRS-44 is designed to carry 44 passengers or up to 5 tons of cargo. The practical flight range of Ladoga with people will reach 2200 km, with cargo - 1200 km, which significantly exceeds that of the An-24. The maximum take-off weight of the aircraft will be 17,5 t, cruising speed - 460-480 km / h, flight altitude - 7200 m.
TVRS-44 will receive an all-metal prefabricated-riveted airframe structure. Flaps, nose cone, fuselage tip and a number of other elements will be made of composite materials on the aircraft.
The prototype of the Ladoga is the Czechoslovak aircraft L-610. It was created in the late 1980s, but its mass production was never established. As stated earlier in an interview with the industry agency "Aviaport" chief designer of the project Sergey Merenkov, TVRS-44 will actually be a new aircraft.
"In fact, it turned out to be a 100% redesign of the prototype (L-610. - RT), that is, the creation of a new aircraft. The equipment, materials and fasteners are one hundred percent new and completely domestic. The fuselage is new, including the entire theory, cross-section, nose and tail sections, cockpit canopy contours, the entire structural and power scheme, the entire layout and linkage of the wing and tail, "said Merenkov.
"Ladoga" is superior to the L-610 also in size. Ural specialists lengthened the fuselage by more than 1 m, increasing its width on the floor, and the capacity of the wing fuel tanks also increased. The maximum take-off weight increased by about 20%, which required the use of powerful propulsion systems and a new reinforced landing gear, Merenkov noted.
TVRS-44 will be equipped with a TV7-117ST-02 power unit developed by UEC-Klimov (St. Petersburg). This is a special modification of the new TV7-117ST-01 engine with a capacity of 2900-3100 hp.
"The power of the TV7-117ST-02 in take-off mode will be 2400 hp with automatic increase to 2600 hp in case of failure of one engine, and its fuel consumption will be the best in its class," the Rostec website reports.
- Model TV7-117ST-02
- © United Engine Corporation
Unlike the base unit, TV7-117ST-02 will receive a closed oil system, which will not drain the oil when replacing the engine. Also, the engine will be equipped with a starter-generator that provides an electric start (instead of the traditional air start). This is necessary for the operation of Ladoga at airfields in the North and Trans-Urals, where there are no ground air launch installations.
Along with this, TV7-117ST-02 will be equipped with an updated design of the automatic control and control unit (BARK), and the engine attachment points will be adapted to the TVRS-44 suspension.
In December of this year, UEC-Klimov will transfer two TV7-117ST-02 engines for installation on the first prototype of Ladoga. With these engines, the aircraft should take off in 2024. Two more motors will be delivered to UZGA in the spring of next year.
"Also, three additional engines will be prepared to pass the necessary stages for the certification of the aircraft. Thus, in total, for the program of the Ladoga regional aircraft, the Klimovites will transfer seven power plants necessary for flight tests, "the Telegram channel of the United Engine Corporation (UEC) reports.
As Oleg Panteleev, executive director of the AviaPort industry agency, said in a commentary to RT, the TV7-117ST-02 power plant will make the Ladoga a very economical aircraft in terms of fuel consumption.
"TV7-117ST-02 will provide Ladoga with a slightly higher speed than that of the An-24, while in terms of fuel efficiency, the UZGA aircraft will almost double the Soviet car," the expert emphasized.
"Flexible" aircraft
The Ladoga project is included in the comprehensive program for the development of the air transport industry until 2030, which was approved by the Russian government at the end of June. More than 770 billion rubles will be allocated for its implementation. As a result, by 2030, the fleet of Russian airlines should be replenished with over 1 thousand new domestic aircraft.
The number of TVRS-44s, which can be transferred to customers in the coming years, is not named in the document. However, it is known that the first deliveries of TVRS-44 are scheduled for 2025.
As Sergey Merenkov said earlier, UZGA can produce 220 aircraft in the period from 2025 to 2035. The maximum production rate, which the Ural enterprise is ready to provide, is 26 aircraft per year.
- Model TVRS-44 "Ladoga"
- © Ural Civil Aviation Plant
Depending on the customer's requirements, the production of various variations of "Ladoga" is envisaged. In particular, UZGA offers combined models for 36 passengers and 16 cubic meters of cargo, for 20 passengers and 27 cubic meters of cargo, as well as medical evacuation and patrol and rescue versions of TVRS-44.
According to Oleg Panteleev, the implementation of the Ladoga project will radically update the regional aviation fleet of the Russian Federation and improve the transport security of settlements in the Far North, Siberia and the Far East.
"There are many settlements in Russia where there is no year-round communication via ground infrastructure. To carry several dozen passengers and cargo of several tons, you need aircraft capable of landing on concrete and asphalt runways, and quite short. However, the age of the An-24/26 and Yak-40 reaches 60 years. Of course, they need a replacement," Panteleev said.
According to the expert, "Ladoga" will occupy the niche of a vehicle, which will primarily carry out flights from the regional center to settlements hundreds of kilometers away from it.
According to Panteleev, the designers of UZGA took into account the specifics of Russian transportation and therefore decided to produce "convertible" aircraft, where part of the cabin is occupied by passengers, and the rest of the space is cargo, including luggage.
The Ladoga will have the outstanding take-off and landing characteristics of the Yak-40 and carry about the same number of passengers or cargo as the An-24/26. Along with this, due to the "convertibility" of the TVRS-44, it will be a very "flexible" aircraft. Air carriers will always be able to decide how to make the most optimal use of cabin space, "Panteleev explained.
In a commentary to RT, the editor-in-chief of the Avia.ru portal, Roman Gusarov, also praised the project of the Ladoga aircraft. According to him, TVRS-44 should become the same reliable and unpretentious workhorse as the An-24. At the same time, according to him, it is already obvious that the brainchild of UZGA will significantly surpass Soviet and Western models in terms of comfort and technical characteristics.
"One can only express regret over the fact that Ladoga is being developed only now, because the fleet of Soviet cars has long been to be replaced, and in the West, Russia could not buy such aircraft even before the sanctions, since they do not fully meet the requirements in our harsh climatic conditions," Gusarov said.
In his opinion, in the coming years, Russia will need about 100 TVRS-44 units. As the route network is restored, the need for Ladoga will increase and in the future, domestic airlines can receive more than 1 thousand such aircraft.
"First of all, it is necessary to replace the An-24 fleet. Further, production volumes will depend on the development of the route network in the regions. If everything goes well, then the need for TVRS-44 can increase dramatically up to the volume of production of An-24 (1,3 thousand machines. - RT) by the middle of the century, "Gusarov concluded.