MILITARY PARADE MAY-JUNE

ÁPyotr BalabuyevÁ
General Designer, Antonov ANTK

\|
uring the 50 years of its existence, Antonov Aviation Research and Engineering Complex (or Antonov ANTK for short) has developed 20 types of aircraft and over 100 versions. Over 22,000 Antonov aircraft were built, including some 1,500 currently used in 42 countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. They are known for their reliability and simplicity of operation all over the world . A new wide-body military transport with short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability, designated An-70, took to the air on December 16, 1994, from the Svyatoshino airfield near Kiev. The aircraft was built by the Ukrainian aircraft manufacturers, in cooperation with Russian research institutes, research/production companies and factories. The unique performance of the plane allows its builders to claim that the production of this plane is a milestone in the development of the transport aviation. ÁÁÁThe An-70 aircraft belongs to the new generation operational/tactical military STOL transports. It is scheduled for adoption by the air forces of Russia, Ukraine and other CIS countries to materially enhance their transport capabilities and replace the now almost obsolete An-12 aircraft which is about to exhaust its service life, and to perform more effectively certain missions currently performed by the IL-76 and An-22 aircraft. ÁÁÁThe An-70 can: ÁÁÁ- carry a wide assortment of cargoes, including bulky ones, with a total mass of 35-47 t to a distance of 1,380-3,800 km at a cruising flight speed of 750-800 km/h; ÁÁÁ- accommodate in its cargo cabin 300 soldiers with their outfits or 206 sick and wounded persons with attending medical personnel; ÁÁÁ- carry and airdrop paratroopers and materiel from high and low altitudes, thereby improving the accuracy and safety of airdropping under conditions of enemy counteraction. ÁÁÁThe combination of powerful high-lift devices with engine outlet air blowing around the wing makes it possible to operate the An-70 from both paved runways 1,800 m long and unpaved strips 600-900 long with the soil strength of mere 5 kgf/cm2. This means that an ordinary field slightly packed with some elementary tools may be used as a takeoff/landing strip for the plane. ÁÁÁThe following comparison may be of some interest. The well-known IL-14, which made its maiden flight in 1950, had a maximum capacity of all the contemporary planes operating from strips 600-700 m long. It could carry 1.5 t of cargo to a distance of 500 km. The first Soviet-made STOL aircraft was the An-72 transport capable of taking off from a 600-m long strip and carrying 5 t of cargo to a distance of 700 km. The An-72 made its first flight in 1978 and continues to be in service with the air forces of CIS countries. The An-70, however, can carry 20 t of cargo to a distance of 3,000 km taking off from still shorter strips. ÁÁÁGiven such a performance, the An-70 guarantees a material increase in effectiveness for military transport aviation by direct delivery of troops together with their armament, combat equipment and supplies right to the desired area. ÁÁÁThe ability to perform short takeoff and landing is an essential feature of every prospective military transport aircraft. The doctrines adopted by the USA, France, Germany and Great Britain provide for scenarios of rapid deployment operations involving the employment of STOL transports. In the early 1970s, the USA embarked on an AMST (advanced medium STOL transport) program which provided for the creation of an aircraft capable of performing takeoff from and landing on unpaved strips up to 3,000 ft (915 m) long. The experimental planes built during that time included the YC-14 (Boeing, 1974) and YC-15 (McDonnell Douglas, 1975). In later years, Lockheed Martin built an experimental HTTB (heavy tactical transport bomber) plane also capable of performing short takeoff and landing. The exigent nature of the program was obvious, given that the McDonnell Douglas C-17 operational/strategic plane was capable of operating from a runway 3,000 ft long. After the trials, the aircraft was adopted by the U.S. Air Force. In Europe work is now underway on a new FLA (future large aircraft) cargo plane: its specifications also include the mandatory STOL feature. ÁÁÁThe exceptional performance of the An-70 results from the implementation of the latest tecnology in aerodynamics, materials, aircraft engineering, pover plant, avionics, as well as optimization of the parameters and improved layout of the aircraft. Installation of the novel power plant (the D-27 and SV-27 prop-fans developed and built by the Zaporozhye-based Progress and Stupino-based Aerosila engine-building design bureaus, respectively) made it possible to attain a high cruising speed and improve fuel efficiency, making it 1.6 that of the An-12. ÁÁÁThe aircraft avionics equipment meet the highest present day standards. Wide use of displays, multifunctional control panels, multiplex, data exchange channels, consolidated monitors and all-aircraft equipment control systems, as well as integration of the entire avionics into a single complex, made it possible to markedly improve the reliability, accuracy of navigation and piloting, reduce the aircraft mass, automate certain functions and assure uninterrupted control over the operability of individual devices. ÁÁÁThe airborne systems of the An-70 allow it to fly over a monotonous terrain in all latitudes and weathers, day and night, safeguard it against enemy air defense fire, permit the aircraft to operate from unpaved runways and perform independent long-time missions away from the home base. ÁÁÁThe displays present the information on piloting and navigation, functioning of the aircraft systems and engines, failures and troubles of the equipment, and provide reference data and hints on prompt correction of occurring troubles and failures. The displays materially reduce the crew workload in all phases of flight. Since the aircraft can stay aloft for more than 10 hours, its cabin is provided with a buffet, rest room and toilet. ÁÁÁThe cargo cabin of the An-70 has been increased by 1/3 over that of the IL-76 to become 3 times that of the An-12 Hercules and Transal. Its dimensions allow it to arrange the equipment in two rows, carry bulky cargoes, such as helicopters, large engineering equipment, etc. The strength of the floor allows to carry all types of tracked vehicles with due regard for total mass limitations. Provision is made for installing an easily removable second deck consisting of 10 sections assembled in arbitrary sequence. The airborne aerial delivery system permits independent loading, unloading and attachment of any cargoes, paradropping special cargoes and using ground conveyer systems. ÁÁÁApart from reducing the weight of the airframe and expenditure of materials, the use by the An-70 of progressive structural concepts, including extensive (up to 20 percent) employment of composites, largely added to the ease of its manufacture and, more importantly ensured a long service life for the plane. ÁÁÁThe high technological potential of the An-70 allows this plane to be developed in the shortest possible time, on its basis, a whole family of special-purpose aircraft. These may include a tanker, early warning plane, patrol and other versions. They will all feature high fuel efficiency, an ability to operate from short unpaved runways, convenience for the crew and low maintenance costs. ÁÁÁOn December 24, 1996, Antonov ANTK rolled out from its assembly shop another ready-to-fly An-70 which will be put on trials very soon. In future the fleets of military transports of the CIS countries will be supplemented with a new unique machine, which will make them even more mobile than in the past. The aforementioned merits of the An-70 are a testimony to its competitiveness on the world aircraft market.