"An-158". Short-range passenger airplane An-158: reviews, photos

Airliner An-158, the photo of which is located below, is one of the long-range modifications of the popular and successful model An-148. The main purpose of this aircraft is the air transportation of passengers on regional and local routes. It should be noted that initially it was planned to produce it under the brand "An-148-200". However, over time, developers, representatives of the design bureau Antonov (Antonov KB), renamed the novelty. The feedback from engineers and many experts in this field characterize the model as a vessel that fully complies with the most modern requirements for environmental friendliness and safety of flights.

Key differences from the predecessor

As already mentioned above, the AN-148 aircraft became the basis for the new model. First of all, in comparison with this modification, the novelty has a more spacious interior. In particular, the maximum possible number of people transported, in addition to the crew, was 99 passengers. This was achieved by the designers of Antonov KB in many respects due to the increase (by two and a half meters) of the length of the passenger compartment. In addition, in the airliner for passengers were installed more spacious luggage shelves. The most important engineering solution was the improvement of the design of the wings. This allowed to reduce direct operating costs by about 12 percent, and fuel consumption of the aircraft by 3 percent.

Development

In 2009, the design development of the new model of the airliner An-158 was completed. Active participation in this work was accepted by representatives of more than two hundred enterprises located on the territory of fifteen states from different parts of the world. One can not help but emphasize that about seventy percent of all components and components for this model are produced and supplied by domestic companies.

The construction and official debut of the prototype

The creation of the debut copy took about one year. It was a substantially overhauled previous modification (An-148). Designers in the literal sense of the word reshaped the plane and lengthened its hull. This decision allowed to further install inside the 14 seats more. In the middle of September 2009, work began on the internal conversion of the liner. Most of the units and assemblies were borrowed from the previous modification. Together with this novelty has received a number of improvements and innovations. April 21, 2010 in Kiev, Antonov KB representatives demonstrated to the press an experimental sample of a new model.

Serial production started in the second half of 2010 at the Antonov aviation production plant. The cost of one copy of this aircraft is approximately thirty million US dollars, but it can vary depending on its configuration.

First flight

The novelty made its debut (test) flight a week later after the presentation - April 28, 2010. The ship took off from the territory of the Kiev factory airfield, after which it landed successfully in Gostomel (Kiev region). Then the pilots lifted the plane to the altitude, which was 8600 meters. According to the testers, the model was characterized by high stability and excellent controllability at all tested heights. The crew members did not make any comments on the results of the flight.

Certification

At the stage of flight tests for compliance with actual flight data, the design characteristics in all operating conditions are checked absolutely all passenger planes. "An-158" was no exception. This is not surprising, because the relevant certificates that give the right to commercial use of aircraft, you can get only by their results. As a rule, the process of testing and certification takes about four years. In the case of this aircraft, this time was significantly reduced, because only new characteristics were tested that were not borrowed from An-148. As a result, on February 28, 2011, the certification of the novelty was completely completed.

The model boasts the availability of certificates of the aviation interstate committee of the countries that are members of the CIS, as well as the state Ukrainian aviation administration for full compliance with the rules of the "AP-25". In addition, the vessel has the documents entitling it to operate it on American and European lines for the transportation of 86 passengers for a distance of up to 3,100 kilometers and 99 passengers for a distance of up to 2,500 kilometers. Among other things, the car is certified in the ICAO category, where it received the IIIA rating, which means it can take off and land in difficult meteorological conditions. Here, the height of decision-making is at the level of 30 meters, and visibility on the runway is 200 meters.

Appearance

As already mentioned above, the basis for the airliner was the modification of the An-148. The external similarity of the two models is connected with this. Due to two additional sections, the total length of the fuselage has increased. The first of them has a length of 1150 millimeters and is located in the bow, and the second, with a length of 550 millimeters, is immediately behind the centroplane. As a result, the silhouette of the An-158 is more graceful. The total length of the airliner is 34.36 meters, while the height of the ship is 8.6 meters.

It should be noted that the basic version of the aircraft allows it to be modernized in a variety of options, depending on the tasks that it is planned to carry out through it. In particular, it is possible to create military-transport, cargo, cargo-and-passenger, sanitary and other modifications of specialized purpose on the basis of the model.

Chassis and wings

In the strengthening of the chassis the novelty did not need. This is due to the fact that the largest take-off mass of the airliner in comparison with the previous version has not changed. It is similar to the An-148-100E aircraft and is 43.7 tons. At the same time, it should be noted that the increase in the maximum possible number of passengers carried by the lengthening of the hull led to a reduction in the practical range of flight by about 400 kilometers.

The An-158 aircraft received a substantially modernized wing. Due to the installation of the terminal aerodynamic surfaces, the size of fuel consumption by the airliner has decreased. As for the tail unit, it has a T-shaped design. The wing span is 28.91 meters, and its area is 84.32 square meters.

Specifications

In the role of powerplant in the model "An-158" two turbojet engines "D-436-148" are used, which are built by the company "Motor Sich" and provide traction, which is 6730 kilograms. The Zaporizhzhya design bureau "Progress" was engaged in the development of these units. Cruising speed of the vessel is 820 km / h, while the maximum speed is 870 km / h. The machine spends an average of 1650 kilograms of fuel per hour. The flying ceiling is set at 12,500 meters. The maximum distance that this regional aircraft can fly is 3,100 kilometers. The maximum take-off weight of the vessel is 43,700 kg, and the payload weight is 9800 kg.

Cabin of pilots

The crew consists of two people. In the cockpit of pilots a complex of modern avionics is installed, to which five modern multifunctional displays with liquid crystal indicators are referred. They are designed to control all airborne units and systems, and also display all necessary flight information. All systems, maintenance, management and operation of the ship are highly standardized for their predecessor - the An-148 model. In this regard, these passenger aircraft (photo is a vivid confirmation of this) are very similar not only externally, but also internally. This feature is quite convenient, since there is no need to additionally train for a new modification of the pilots, as well as ground personnel who perform routine maintenance.

Operational Capabilities

Separate words deserve in the airliner "An-158" the characteristics of its operational capabilities. In particular, the car can perform air travel both during the day and at night, even in a rather complicated meteorological environment. This includes even the conditions of natural icing, when the air temperature is at -30 degrees Celsius. In general, the aircraft is designed for a temperature regime, ranging from -55 to +45 degrees. For the implementation of take-off and landing suitable aerodromes, which are located at altitudes from -300 to +3000 meters above sea level. The possibility of operating the model under such conditions was proved after a number of tests. In particular, in February 2011 the machine produced 16 flights in Iran, and in November 2013 - it was tested at high-altitude airfields in Bolivia and Ecuador.

Customers

The An-158 aircraft in our time takes a worthy place in the regional airliners market. The first serious order for the model came from Panama in the summer of 2011. Then a contract was signed for the supply and further after-sales service of twenty cars. In April 2013, the Cubana aviation company Cubana de Aviacion purchased three liners of this model, after which it issued an order for three more copies. In general, air carriers from countries of Latin America, Africa, Asia, as well as Russia and Ukraine announced their intention to purchase more than one hundred An-158 ships.

At present, engineers of the Antonov design bureau are actively working to improve the level of comfort for passengers and crew members. In addition, the possibilities and prospects for the construction of cargo and specialized airliner options that can perform the most diverse tasks of military transport or civil aviation are considered.