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VOLGA-DNEPR GROUP AND
MOTOR SICH LAUNCH MANAGING COMPANY TO RECOMMENCE
AN-124-100 RUSLAN SERIAL PRODUCTION
Russia's
Volga-Dnepr Group and Mo tor Sich of the Ukraine
have formed a new joint venture company, Cargo
Aircraft Managing Company, to manage the relaunch
of serial production of the AN-124-100 freighter
aircraft. Representatives of Volga-Dnepr and Motor
Sich signed a Memorandum of Association in Kiev on
December 15th, 2006. In the future, the remaining
partners in the project &endash; Aviastar-SP,
Antonov Corporation and Progress Design Bureau
&endash; will also become shareholders of the new
company.
The project to
relaunch serial production of the AN-124 is part of
the strategy of the Russian aviation industry and
the Federal Targeted Programme: The development of
civil aviation technology in Russia in 2002-2010
and up to 2015. The decision to form a managing
company for the project was taken during the first
meeting of the sub-committee for aviation industry
co-operation of the interstate Russian-Ukrainian
committee in October 2006. Signing association
documents was an important milestone in the
development of the programme.
VOLGA-DNEPR
DELIVERY GOES LIKE A ROCKET ON FIRST LEG OF 3.1
BILLION MILE JOURNEY
Volga-Dnepr Airlines played an important role
in the successful launch of US space agency NASA's
US$700 million New Horizons mission to Pluto, the
one remaining planet that has never been visited by
a spacecraft.. The airline conducted two AN-124-100
freighter flights from Denver to the launch pad at
Cape Canaveral in Florida carrying the Atlas 5
rocket launcher for the project. The two sections
transported on board the aircraft were assembled at
Cape Canaveral. A timely delivery and subsequent
launch was a critical element of the whole project.
The spacecraft had a set window for the launch in
order for the New Horizons probe to use Jupiter's
gravity to pick up speed in a 'slingshot
manoeuvre'. By successfully meeting this deadline,
the probe's speed away from the sun will be
increased by nearly 9,000mph, allowing the
spacecraft to reach the ninth planet by July 2015.
The partners are committed to making the AN-124
modification and production relaunch programme the
most successful project in the history of
Russian-Ukrainian aviation.
The aim of this
joint initiative is to develop and produce a new
version of the aircraft, the AN-124-100M-150, and
to increase the operating life of existing AN-124
aircraft.
In order to improve
the economical and operational efficiency of the
AN-124, the project aims to significantly enhance
the aircraft's performance, notably increasing the
freighter's payload capacity from 120 to 150 tonnes
and increasing the operating life of the aircraft
to 60,000 hours and, later 80,000 flight hours. The
aircraft's flight control system will also undergo
significant improvements.
The maximum flight
distance, when carrying 120 tonnes payload, will be
increased up to 5,000 km while the crew required
onboard the aircraft will be reduced to four
persons. The aircraft's power-plant and engines
will also be modified in compliance with the
existing and future ICAO requirements.
Within the joint
venture, Motor Sich and Progress Design Bureau will
be in charge of the D-18T engine modification and
production for the AN-124-100M-150. The D-18T 3
engine version will be upgraded into the D-18T 4
version for the new aircraft and the project will
modify the reverse control and engine control
systems using the FADEC system. Improvements in the
fan and turbine design will increase thrust up to
25,000 kilogram-force while maintaining fuel
consumption at the current level.
The new aircraft
will be built at the Aviastar-SP facilities with
the technical support of Antonov Corporation.
Presently, an Ulyanovsk-based representative office
of Antonov Corporation is being established at
Aviastar-SP. The company will function as a design
bureau that will implement improved solutions into
the AN-124 series design and create new
modifications of the aircraft.
Volga-Dnepr
Airlines is the world's largest operator of AN-124
Ruslan aircraft and the main customer to order the
aircraft. It has already placed an order for two
AN-124-100M-150 aircraft (serial numbers #08-04 and
#08-05) that are being built in Ulyanovsk.
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