The aircraft building concern of Ukraine - Antonov ASTC - together with enterprises from Russia and other countries of the world created a family of jet twin-engine regional aircraft, marked An-148-100 (photo is presented in the article). These airliners are high-tech competitive aircraft that meet all modern world requirements, environmental and safety standards, as well as the wishes of companies involved in air transportation of passengers. The An-148-100 aircraft is designed for passenger and cargo transportation on main and regional lines.
Family and modifications
The An-148-100 family of airliners consists of three options for 68-85 passengers: A is a version of a short-range passenger airliner (up to 3000 kilometers); B - basic modification, differs from the previous one only in flight range (up to 3600 kilometers); E - characterizedextended range (up to 5000 kilometers). In addition, there are six modifications of this aircraft: increased passenger capacity; with the maximum level of comfort for passengers; cargo-passenger; cargo with a side door; cargo with a rear hatch-ramp; special purpose.
History of creation. Stage one
In the early 90s of the last century, the design bureau named after OK Antonov began work on designing a new passenger aircraft - An-148-100 (the photos in the article show this airliner). The new machine was supposed to replace the obsolete An-24, An-72, An-74, Yak-40, Yak-42 and Tu-134. The development was carried out by a team of engineers led by P. Baluev. The predecessor of the new model, An-74, was designed as a cargo transport liner and was not adapted for the comfortable transportation of passengers. Even after moving the power units under the wing to the pylon, which increased fuel efficiency, it could not compete with a number of modern regional aircraft of the same passenger capacity.
In this situation, the company's management decided to create a completely new passenger airbus that meets all the requirements of our time.
Stage Two
Initially, this project was called An-74-68. The new aircraft was distinguished by a wing shape, an elongated fuselage, a fifth-series engine with a fundamentally new reverse design. However, the economic crisis delayed the birth of this aircraft. And only in 2001 did the stage of workingliner design. Now the project had a new name - An-148. The concept of the An-74 TK-300 airliner was taken as a basis, however, the An-148-100 aircraft (photo) is an aircraft completely created from scratch, and is not another modification of the An-74. It has an increased length and diameter of the fuselage, a new power structure of the wing, modern economical power units equipped with an electronic control system. The first flight tests of the An-148-100 began at the end of 2004. And on June 2, 2009, the first scheduled flight of the new airliner took place on the route Kharkiv - Kyiv. Two months later, the first Russian-built An-148-100 took to the skies.
Tests
Three months after the first flight of the An-148-100 test model, the aircraft confirmed all the calculated flight characteristics at high angles of attack. The aircraft was put into stall modes at various altitudes. This was done to test the additional load of the landing gear and wing mechanization elements, which are typical for various stages of the flight of a passenger airliner. For almost any configuration, the An-148-100 (reviews of experts confirm this) showed quite clear, distinguishable by the pilot, natural signs leading to a stall. The behavior of the liner in critical flight modes turned out to be very favorable, it met all the requirements of aviation regulations.
Certification
On February 26, 2007, the new aircraft, its engine and auxiliary power unit were certified by the StateAviation Administration of Ukraine and the Aviation Register of the Interstate Aviation Committee. The airliner was certified in accordance with the provisions of the certification basis SB-148, developed on the basis of aviation requirements and rules of the CIS countries (AP-25), as well as European CS-25. In terms of noise level on the ground, this aircraft meets the requirements of Section 4 of Appendix 16 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Volume 1 "Aircraft Noise" with amendments up to and including the 7th) and the requirements of Part 36 of the Aviation Regulations AP-36. In terms of emissions - the requirements of the relevant section of Appendix 16 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Volume 2 "Emissions of Aircraft Engines" as amended by the fourth inclusive) and the requirements of Aviation Regulations AP-34.
Design Solutions
Let's consider what innovative solutions that provide new airliners with a number of advantages, implemented in the aircraft of this family by the engineers of the Antonov Design Bureau. An-148-100 has a high level of protection of the wing and power units from damage by foreign objects. This is due to the scheme of the apparatus - a high-wing aircraft with engines under the wing on pylons. In addition, aircraft of this series can safely operate on various types of runways, including poorly prepared, unpaved, pebbly, ice and snowy ones. In addition, the presence of an on-board system that records the state of the systems and an auxiliary power unit, as well as a fairly high level of reliability and serviceability, make it possible to use airlinersof this family at any airfields. The location of the underground cargo compartments, which is convenient in height, makes it possible to do without special ground cargo facilities when loading and unloading luggage.
Powertrains
For aircraft of this family, Ivchenko-Progress State Enterprise developed a new fifth-generation engine D-436-148. This power unit is equipped with a number of systems that provide automatic control and monitoring. They ensure optimal engine performance in all flight phases, in addition, increase reliability, as well as reduce maintenance costs and fuel consumption. The An-148-100 power units meet the modern requirements of Eurocontrol and ICAO. Their declared resource is 20 thousand cycles and 40 thousand hours of operation. At the request of the customer, aircraft of this family can also be equipped with modern foreign-made engines with a thrust of no more than 8000 kgf.
Equipment
both in simple and in difficult weather conditions. The An-148-100 provides both manual and automatic navigation. The autopilot allows you to program the necessary routes, automatic landing in accordance with the norms I, II and III A of ICAO categories,horizontal and vertical navigation, takeoff and landing according to STAR and SID patterns. The equipment automatically monitors the status of all systems in flight and on the ground, followed by the issuance of information to technical personnel and aircraft crew.
Safety
The family of these aircraft provides for a set of aviation security measures. For example, the cockpit is equipped with bulletproof doors, communication devices for flight attendants and crew, a place to store ammunition and weapons, a video surveillance system, a place to place explosive devices if they are found on board in flight, and anti-theft devices.
Salon
The comfort of the passenger compartment of aircraft of this family corresponds to the level of comfort of modern long-haul liners. In particular, this result was achieved due to the rational layout and composition of service rooms, the use of modern seats, materials and interior design, ergonomic optimization of individual and common space, and, of course, low noise levels. For the entertainment of passengers, a modern infotainment system is installed in the cabin. Hand luggage is located in special lockable luggage racks, which are distinguished by an impressive volume - a total of 4.2 cubic meters. The size of the shelves differs depending on the modification of the aircraft. The largest are in short-haul and regional airliners. The total volume of luggage and cargo compartments of the An-148, located in the tail section and under the floor of the passengeraircraft cabin - 14.6 cubic meters.
An-148-100 - interior scheme
The layout of the passenger cabin of this airliner is designed to carry from 68 to 85 people. The plane has eight to ten seats for business class, the rest - for economy. The layout of the seats (shown in the photo above) in the business class, two in a row on each side of the aircraft. The economy class cabin has three seats in a row on one side and two on the other side. Above each are shelves for hand luggage. The distance between the rows in the economy class of the airliner is designed for the height of an average person (so that the passenger’s knees do not rest against the back of the next seat. But people with a height above average will be somewhat uncomfortable. Above each seat there are lighting control buttons, an air conditioner regulator, a light signal board and a flight attendant call According to passenger reviews, the best economy class seats on the An-148-100 are by the window on the left side (a row of two seats).
Reviews
As always, in this case, people's opinions differ, sometimes they are even diametrically opposed. Someone claims that the plane is very comfortable, the flight takes place in silence, takeoff and landing are soft. And others argue that the noise of the engines is quite high, the plane shakes a lot during takeoff and landing, and they say that it is much better to fly on the old An-24s. How many people - so many opinions. Therefore, if you want to make your own, use the services of air carriers and comparesensations.
Conclusion
Despite their relative youth, these aircraft have firmly occupied their niche on regional air routes not only in the CIS countries, but also in Europe and Asia. Aeroflot, Rossiya, Angara and other passenger air transportation companies are purchasing An-148-100 aircraft to replace obsolete Tu-134s and others. An-148 meets all modern safety, efficiency and comfort requirements. All these qualities have become fundamental factors due to which companies prefer this particular model.
