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Antonov An-148 Hastens to Maiden
Flight
In a joint effort with several other Russian and Ukrainian design
bureaus, Ukraine's Antonov is developing the all-new An-148 regional
jet. Progress has been rapid: it was announced in mid-2002, and
the first prototype is slated to make its maiden flight late next
month. By year's end two more prototypes will have been built, and
serial production starts in 2005, when five customer aircraft will
be delivered, according to Antonov officials.
Russian carriers urgently need to replace obsolete 80-seat Tupolev
Tu-134s with newer regional jets. But Western-built aircraft remains
too expensive for them even on the used market, thanks to high import
taxes imposed to protect the national industry. Soviet manufacturers
are eager to meet this demand, promoting in-house regional jet programs.
The most promising are Sukhoi's 60- to 95-seat Russian Regional
Jet (RRJ) and the 70- to 80-seat Antonov An-148 family. The Ukrainian
aircraft is viewed as a serious competitor to the RRJ in Russia
and other CIS markets since it will be available earlier and could
be cheaper. Projected price tag for the An-148 is around €14.6
million ($18 million), while RRJ is expected to cost slightly more
then €16.2 million ($20 million).
The An-148 will be powered by two Ukrainian D-436-148 turbofans,
but the General Electric CF34-10 is reportedly also being considered.
While Sukhoi's RRJ relies extensively on Western suppliers, with
Boeing acting as advisor on the project, the An-148 is being developed
by a Ukrainian-Russian team, with several European manufactures
engaged in the avionics package.
The prototypes are being built at Antonov's facilities in the Ukrainian
capital, Kiev. Two final assembly lines are proposed for production
aircraft—one at Ukraine's Kharkov State Aircraft Manufacturing
Co., which produces An-140 turboprops and An-74 jets), and other
in Russia at the Voronezh Joint Stock Aircraft Manufacturing Association
(VASO), which builds the Ilyushin Il-96 and provides MRO services
for Ilyushin Il-76s and IL-86s. Kharkov State Aircraft Manufacturing
Co. is in Hall 4, Stand D13 and Chalet A33.
—Artem Fetisov
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