Does not meet all requirements. Why do the military want to remake the IL-112В
There is a line that divides the strategically important projects of the Russian aircraft industry and the usual conditional-legal use of budget funds. The latter, for example, can be attributed to the sudden reincarnation of the old Soviet airliner IL-96, which will not meet the requirements of time in any event. Yes, and the customer is not a fact that he will find, even in the territory of his native country.
It is much more interesting to watch the progress of projects that are designed to "breathe" life into the Russian aviation industry. That is, to show that Russia wants and can build modern aircraft. It is even more interesting if such projects are really in demand. A striking example is the IL-112, a promising light transport aircraft. Today we will tell about his difficult fate.
Old people here do not belong
No one doubts that An-24 and An-26 should be changed. Recall that the latter is a modification of the first. An-24 made the first flight "eternity" back - in 1959-m. On the basis of this passenger turboprop engine built a whole family of a variety of aircraft, including - for the PRC.
The military transport An-26 has enormous merit: suffice it to say that in all years more than 1400 have produced such machines. True in his stories There are a lot of black pages. According to unofficial data, up to 2018, more than 140 aircraft were lost in disasters, approximately 1450 people were killed. Without a doubt, the new aircraft should, among other things, be safer. But so far, the Russian military has some complaints.
Little way
The IL-112 aircraft is designed for its specific niche. Recall that, as of the XNUMXst century, the structure of the military transport aviation The Russian Federation has four levels:
- Light military transport aircraft (An-26).
- Medium military transport aircraft (An-12).
- Heavy military transport aircraft (IL-76).
- Super heavy military transport aircraft (An-124).
The tasks for An-26 and An-12 are similar ... at first glance. If the carrying capacity of the An-26 is 5,5 tons, then the An-12 has a maximum payload mass of the “immodest” 21 ton. If the mass of the empty An-26 is 16 tons, then in the An-12 the mass of the empty aircraft without fuel is almost 37 tons. That is, the machines are completely different and most likely cannot replace one plane with another: the lightweight An-26 can be operated without any restrictions at all.
Like its "ancestor", IL-112 can be used from little-equipped airfields with unpaved surfaces. The main flight characteristics of the Il-112 are also almost identical to the An-26. So, in both cars, cruising speed is within 450 kilometers per hour. However, it makes no sense to talk in detail about the dry characteristics of aircraft: this is far from the most important. Rather, there are many other indicators that are no less significant in our age, for example, the quality of on-board electronics. However, in relation to IL-112, we will not soon be able to judge it with certainty.
Also, we will not go into the details of developing a new car, we note only that its birth was a direct consequence of the Russian-Ukrainian political contradictions. Recall that, despite ambitious plans, in May 2011, the Russian Ministry of Defense refused the military transport IL-112 in favor of the Ukrainian An-140. It is not difficult to imagine anything further: the military soon had to revive the Russian project.
It was hard and creaking: nevertheless, on the thirtieth of March of this year, the first flight of the IL-112B took place. The tests were performed at the airport of the enterprise PJSC "VASO", which is part of the Transport Aviation Division of the United Aircraft Building Corporation. “The magnificent plane, there are no questions for it, the flight went well,” commander Nikolai Kuimov commented on the flight.
Running with obstacles
As for the future prospects of the machine, then there are many "but." In general, at the Voronezh aircraft factory they intend to start producing about twelve aircraft per year. There is an interest both from the side of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (this is logical) and allegedly from other states. However, technical difficulties can be in the way of this. “It will take at least eight to ten months to finalize and redesign the IL-112B for the aircraft to comply with the tactical and technical tasks of the Ministry of Defense,” an informed source told Interfax in April. According to him, the problem is the insufficient capacity of the aircraft. The problem was confirmed by another source who knows the situation. “The plane does not yet meet all customer requirements,” he noted.
At the same time, in the office of Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, the problem is considered from the position of eliminating the "childhood diseases" inherent in any new technology. “The development of the aircraft is not easy, like any new technology. It is no secret that the previously set dates for the first flight have already been postponed. At the moment, according to the results of a recent meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, UAC and PJSC "Il" were instructed to provide customers with an updated schedule for the completion of development work on the creation of IL-112В ”, - noted in the department.
But does the problem lie solely in the plane of the novelty of the aircraft? There are objective doubts on this score, especially if we recall the statement by the chief designer of the Il company, Nikolai Talikov, made last December. “Yes, we overloaded the plane. There are objective reasons - a change of generations of designers has passed in the aviation industry. Replenishment went weak, technical universities lost popularity. A young specialist came to us, looked around, learned a bit and went to where they pay more, ”the chief designer said.
This rather frank assessment undoubtedly illustrates the general situation in the industry. And if nothing is changed, the consequences will be very bad. It is appropriate to recall here that, as the example of Germany and Japan shows, our own aircraft industry is easy to “hack”, but it is difficult to resurrect if the base is already lost. It is very hard to create something new and demanded on the world market from scratch, even with huge investments.
At the same time, the situation in Ilyushin itself seems to be deplorable even by the standards of the KLA. Recently it became known that Alexei Rogozin, the son of Dmitry Rogozin, left the post of CEO of the company, although he was appointed there only in 2017 year. In fairness, we note: something he still managed to do. After all, the first flight of the IL-112В is also his merit. Yes, and problems in the company began earlier: it is enough to recall the "slip" with the IL-76MD-90А transporter, the cause of which is called incorrect calculations made back in the 2012 year and resulting in a huge loss to the manufacturer in the face of Aviastar-SP. But by themselves, sudden changes in the aircraft industry, and even at such a high level - not the best sign.
In conclusion, I would like to recall the above. IL-112В - despite all the problems, the necessary and important aircraft for Russia, the alternative to which is not planned in the foreseeable future. This means that the car, most likely, will have to be brought to mind, even by reworking individual components.
Also important is the promotion of IL-112V in foreign markets. By the way, in February it became known that it was proposed to create a special version of the IL-112 for India. This is perhaps the most correct outward direction. With all the difficulties of the Russian-Indian friendship, this South Asian country is the only foreign customer who is ready to buy Russian equipment in large volumes. China has long since shifted to its own military-industrial complex, and Arabs and Africans are unlikely to order a lot of equipment. There are exceptions, but they are exceptions.
It is much more interesting to watch the progress of projects that are designed to "breathe" life into the Russian aviation industry. That is, to show that Russia wants and can build modern aircraft. It is even more interesting if such projects are really in demand. A striking example is the IL-112, a promising light transport aircraft. Today we will tell about his difficult fate.
Old people here do not belong
No one doubts that An-24 and An-26 should be changed. Recall that the latter is a modification of the first. An-24 made the first flight "eternity" back - in 1959-m. On the basis of this passenger turboprop engine built a whole family of a variety of aircraft, including - for the PRC.
The military transport An-26 has enormous merit: suffice it to say that in all years more than 1400 have produced such machines. True in his stories There are a lot of black pages. According to unofficial data, up to 2018, more than 140 aircraft were lost in disasters, approximately 1450 people were killed. Without a doubt, the new aircraft should, among other things, be safer. But so far, the Russian military has some complaints.
Little way
The IL-112 aircraft is designed for its specific niche. Recall that, as of the XNUMXst century, the structure of the military transport aviation The Russian Federation has four levels:
- Light military transport aircraft (An-26).
- Medium military transport aircraft (An-12).
- Heavy military transport aircraft (IL-76).
- Super heavy military transport aircraft (An-124).
The tasks for An-26 and An-12 are similar ... at first glance. If the carrying capacity of the An-26 is 5,5 tons, then the An-12 has a maximum payload mass of the “immodest” 21 ton. If the mass of the empty An-26 is 16 tons, then in the An-12 the mass of the empty aircraft without fuel is almost 37 tons. That is, the machines are completely different and most likely cannot replace one plane with another: the lightweight An-26 can be operated without any restrictions at all.
Like its "ancestor", IL-112 can be used from little-equipped airfields with unpaved surfaces. The main flight characteristics of the Il-112 are also almost identical to the An-26. So, in both cars, cruising speed is within 450 kilometers per hour. However, it makes no sense to talk in detail about the dry characteristics of aircraft: this is far from the most important. Rather, there are many other indicators that are no less significant in our age, for example, the quality of on-board electronics. However, in relation to IL-112, we will not soon be able to judge it with certainty.
Also, we will not go into the details of developing a new car, we note only that its birth was a direct consequence of the Russian-Ukrainian political contradictions. Recall that, despite ambitious plans, in May 2011, the Russian Ministry of Defense refused the military transport IL-112 in favor of the Ukrainian An-140. It is not difficult to imagine anything further: the military soon had to revive the Russian project.
It was hard and creaking: nevertheless, on the thirtieth of March of this year, the first flight of the IL-112B took place. The tests were performed at the airport of the enterprise PJSC "VASO", which is part of the Transport Aviation Division of the United Aircraft Building Corporation. “The magnificent plane, there are no questions for it, the flight went well,” commander Nikolai Kuimov commented on the flight.
Running with obstacles
As for the future prospects of the machine, then there are many "but." In general, at the Voronezh aircraft factory they intend to start producing about twelve aircraft per year. There is an interest both from the side of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (this is logical) and allegedly from other states. However, technical difficulties can be in the way of this. “It will take at least eight to ten months to finalize and redesign the IL-112B for the aircraft to comply with the tactical and technical tasks of the Ministry of Defense,” an informed source told Interfax in April. According to him, the problem is the insufficient capacity of the aircraft. The problem was confirmed by another source who knows the situation. “The plane does not yet meet all customer requirements,” he noted.
At the same time, in the office of Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, the problem is considered from the position of eliminating the "childhood diseases" inherent in any new technology. “The development of the aircraft is not easy, like any new technology. It is no secret that the previously set dates for the first flight have already been postponed. At the moment, according to the results of a recent meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, UAC and PJSC "Il" were instructed to provide customers with an updated schedule for the completion of development work on the creation of IL-112В ”, - noted in the department.
But does the problem lie solely in the plane of the novelty of the aircraft? There are objective doubts on this score, especially if we recall the statement by the chief designer of the Il company, Nikolai Talikov, made last December. “Yes, we overloaded the plane. There are objective reasons - a change of generations of designers has passed in the aviation industry. Replenishment went weak, technical universities lost popularity. A young specialist came to us, looked around, learned a bit and went to where they pay more, ”the chief designer said.
This rather frank assessment undoubtedly illustrates the general situation in the industry. And if nothing is changed, the consequences will be very bad. It is appropriate to recall here that, as the example of Germany and Japan shows, our own aircraft industry is easy to “hack”, but it is difficult to resurrect if the base is already lost. It is very hard to create something new and demanded on the world market from scratch, even with huge investments.
At the same time, the situation in Ilyushin itself seems to be deplorable even by the standards of the KLA. Recently it became known that Alexei Rogozin, the son of Dmitry Rogozin, left the post of CEO of the company, although he was appointed there only in 2017 year. In fairness, we note: something he still managed to do. After all, the first flight of the IL-112В is also his merit. Yes, and problems in the company began earlier: it is enough to recall the "slip" with the IL-76MD-90А transporter, the cause of which is called incorrect calculations made back in the 2012 year and resulting in a huge loss to the manufacturer in the face of Aviastar-SP. But by themselves, sudden changes in the aircraft industry, and even at such a high level - not the best sign.
In conclusion, I would like to recall the above. IL-112В - despite all the problems, the necessary and important aircraft for Russia, the alternative to which is not planned in the foreseeable future. This means that the car, most likely, will have to be brought to mind, even by reworking individual components.
Also important is the promotion of IL-112V in foreign markets. By the way, in February it became known that it was proposed to create a special version of the IL-112 for India. This is perhaps the most correct outward direction. With all the difficulties of the Russian-Indian friendship, this South Asian country is the only foreign customer who is ready to buy Russian equipment in large volumes. China has long since shifted to its own military-industrial complex, and Arabs and Africans are unlikely to order a lot of equipment. There are exceptions, but they are exceptions.
Information