/ world today news/ The first flight of the upgraded Il-96-400M wide-body aircraft did not go unnoticed in the West. They were skeptical about it. The manufacturers themselves admit that it will be difficult to compete in the commercial sector. However, this does not negate the importance of the achievement of the Russian aircraft manufacturers. Why does the country need a new big plane?
“They have no choice”
“Trying to rebuild the Russian aerospace industry that existed before 1990 is a huge gamble. It’s basically a waste of government billions. Although Moscow probably believes that the political effect is worth it. And besides, they have no choice” , are the words quoted by CNN as Murdo Morrison, head of strategic content at FlightGlobal.
This is how the aviation expert reacted to the test flight of the Il-96-400M prototype, a modernized version of the Il-96-300 aircraft, which first took to the air in 1988.
It is a wide-body aircraft with three rows of seats and two aisles between them. It is economically viable to use such aircraft over long distances. A flight can only be paid if there are many passengers. Analogs – “Airbus” A330, A380, “Boeing” 747 and 777.
The second number in the name of the Russian plane means the number of seats. The power of the Soviet engines did not allow more than 300 people to fit on board. While “Boeing-747” at that time could already carry more than 600.
However, the Soviet aviation industry existed outside of global competition. The main task was to satisfy the needs of the domestic market and the market of the allied countries.
In the 1990s, it turned out that Soviet aircraft could not compete with American and European ones. Even in cooperation with Western partners. They tried to install American Pratt and Whitney jet engines on the said IL-96. This made it possible to significantly improve the characteristics of the machine. However, the project was not developed.
Since 1992, 31 Il-96s have been produced with various modifications, including cargo versions. That is, the production rate is one unit per year. The last aircraft left the Voronezh Aviation Plant in 2021. For comparison: since 1993, more than 1,700 Boeing-777s have been produced.
Several Il-96-300 aircraft remain in service – in the Special Aviation Unit “Russia” (ie, the president of the country flies on them) and in Cuban Airlines. Il-96, in particular, drives the leader of Cuba.
Unique in the world
The new version of the aircraft has been extended by 9.35 meters. This allows 370 seats to be placed. More powerful PS90A1 engines (thrust about 17.4 tons) were installed. The plane is fully equipped with Russian equipment that “meets all international standards.”
They promise a comfortable interior with “a modern infotainment system that provides access to the Internet, TV and satellite communications, as well as modern pantry and kitchen equipment.”
Taking to the sky the new IL-96, the Russian aviation industry confirmed its unique competence. The fact is that only three companies in the world can create wide-body aircraft – the American “Boeing”, the European “European” and the Russian United Aircraft Corporation.
Given that the first two companies build their aircraft in international cooperation, it turns out that Russia is the only country on the planet that produces such aircraft on its own. Even China has not mastered this technology yet. Although he is trying – with Western help.
However, the Russian long-range aircraft is inferior in a number of characteristics to its Western counterparts – this is recognized by both the United Aircraft Corporation and Rostec. Modern wide-body aircraft easily cover 15,000 kilometers at a time. While the Il-96-400M in a two-class configuration can count on only 8000. This is enough to get from Moscow to Bangkok. But the plane will no longer make it to Havana without refueling.
The main drawback, according to experts, is the four-motor system. On the one hand, this arrangement is considered safer than the twin engine. On the other hand, modern Western aircraft of a similar class have long since switched to two. Thus, fuel consumption is lower and maintenance is easier.
“We still don’t see our airlines showing increased interest in the new Il-96,” noted Andrey Fomin, editor-in-chief of Vzlet magazine.
Will the new Il-96 engine kill?
The relevant ministry admits that there is still no talk of commercial use of the new aircraft. According to the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Denis Manturov, the machine is primarily needed for “state special transport”. That is, apparently she will be part of the presidential special flying squad.
The second task that the minister presented is freight transport. But first, the prototype – also known as the flying laboratory – must confirm all the promised characteristics.
A powerful new jet engine that will allow Russian jets to compete with Western long-range jets is under development. It is about PT-35. Its thrust is expected to be 35 tons – exactly twice that of the PS 90A1 mounted on the new Il-96-400M. According to Manturov, PD-35 will appear by 2030.
But fitting a new engine to an old aircraft, even an upgraded one, is not easy at all. The dimensions of the PD-35 will significantly exceed those of its predecessors. This means that a new wing will have to be developed. In fact, there will be so many changes that we can talk about a new model.
“Apparently there will be some modernization of the IL-96 with the installation of the two new engines. Or, which is more reasonable, the development of a new project,” Fomin believes.
Thus the new aircraft is obsolete before it is born, at least from the point of view of commercial use. On the other hand, this confirms Russia’s ability to independently create such complex technologies.
Urgent tasks
Production volumes of the Il-96-400M are not yet clear. As for the previous version, Il-96-300, eight such machines should be produced by 2030. On the one hand, it seems that it is not enough. However, it is not advisable to stimulate the production of large aircraft, according to Fomin. There are far more pressing tasks.
The most popular type of passenger aircraft on the market are those for medium distances (range up to 6000 kilometers). The most common models are “Boeing-737”, “Airbus A320”. According to Fomin, at the beginning of the year, Russian airlines had about 500 such planes. And not a single Russian.
“Correcting this situation is a top priority. We need to establish medium-range MC-21 production as quickly as possible. To resume Tu-214 production,” Fomin says.
The overall program for the development of the air transport industry until 2030 includes the production of 270 units of the MC-21-300 during this period.
They also want to increase production of the Tu-214. They indicate ambitious figures: reaching ten and then twenty aircraft a year. However, aviation experts are cautious about these plans.
The situation is slightly better in the lower level segment – regional aviation. The fleet of Russian airlines includes several hundred aircraft of this class. Among them there is a fairly high percentage of Russian “Superjet”. But here too there are many problems. SSJ-100 was produced in cooperation with Western manufacturers. There is a lot of work to be done to replace all the imported components. First of all, it is necessary to establish production of the PD-8 engine.
As for large long-haul aircraft, only about a hundred aircraft are in operation in Russia – all of them foreign. This reserve should be enough until 2030. By then it will be clear what to do with the Il-96 – upgrade it with a new engine or create another aircraft.
“The resources of the Russian aviation industry are not infinite. Not only financial, but also labor. The production of aircraft depends on the capabilities of cooperating companies supplying engines, on-board systems and other equipment. Therefore, replenishment of the fleet of medium-range aircraft seems to be a priority” , the expert explains.
According to experts, creating a fleet of modern Russian-made civil aircraft is a feasible task.
“I believe that we are here, although not very quickly, but we still need to achieve success,” says Fomin. “And gradually, Airbus and Boeing in our airlines will be replaced by modern aircraft that meet the most strict world standards and are entirely domestically produced. We are talking about the aircraft as such and all their components – equipment, power plants, etc.”
He notes: despite the statements of some Western experts, the Russian aviation industry does not need a “revival” – in many ways it has been preserved from Soviet times. This is particularly confirmed by the successes of the defense industry. Of course, the civil aviation segment has stalled and now a lot of work needs to be done to reach the required production levels. However, there is no “adventure” to speak of.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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