The An-158 airliner, the photo of which is located below, is one of the long-range modifications of the popular and successful An-148 model. The main purpose of this aircraft is air transportation of passengers on regional and local routes. It should be noted that it was originally planned to be produced under the brand name "An-148-200". However, over time, the developers, representatives of the Antonov Design Bureau (“Antonov KB”), renamed the novelty. Feedback from engineers and many experts in this field characterize the model as a vessel that fully complies with the latest requirements for environmental friendliness and flight safety.
Key differences from predecessor
As noted above, the An-148 aircraft became the basis for the new model. First of all, in comparison with this modification, the novelty received a more spacious interior. In particular, the maximum possible number of people transported, in addition to crew members, was 99 passengers. This was achieved by the designers of "Antonov KB" largely due to an increase (by two and a half meters) in lengthpassenger compartment. In addition, more spacious luggage racks were installed in the airliner for passengers. The most important engineering decision was the improvement of the design of the wings. This reduced direct operating costs by approximately 12 percent and aircraft fuel consumption by 3 percent.
Development
In 2009, the design development of the project for a new model of the An-158 airliner was completed. Representatives of more than two hundred enterprises located on the territory of fifteen states from different parts of the world took an active part in this work. It is impossible not to focus on the fact that approximately seventy percent of all components and assemblies for this model are produced and supplied by domestic companies.
Building and official prototype debut
The creation of the debut instance took about one year in time. It was a significantly rebuilt previous modification ("An-148"). The designers in the literal sense of the word redrawn the plane and lengthened its body. This decision made it possible to install 14 more seats inside in the future. In mid-September 2009, work began on the internal re-equipment of the liner. Most of the units and assemblies were borrowed from the previous modification. Along with this, the novelty received a number of improvements and innovations. April 21, 2010 in Kyiv, representatives of "Antonov KB" demonstrated to the press an experimental sample of the new model.
Serialproduction started in the second half of 2010 at the Antonov aircraft manufacturing plant. The cost of one copy of such an aircraft is approximately thirty million US dollars, but may vary depending on its configuration.
First flight
The novelty made its debut (test) flight a week after the presentation - April 28, 2010. The ship took off from the territory of the Kyiv factory airfield, after which it successfully landed in Gostomel (Kyiv region). Then the pilots raised the plane to a height of 8600 meters. According to the testers, the model was highly stable and excellent handling at all tested heights. The crew members did not make any remarks on the results of the flight.
Certification
At the stage of flight tests, absolutely all passenger aircraft are checked for compliance of the actual flight data with the design characteristics in various operating conditions. "An-158" was no exception. This is not surprising, because the relevant certificates, giving the right to the commercial use of aircraft, can only be obtained based on their results. Typically, the testing and certification process takes about four years. In the case of this aircraft, this time was significantly reduced, because only new characteristics were tested, which were not borrowed from the An-148. As a result, on February 28, 2011, the certification of the novelty was completed.
The model boasts of havingcertificates of the aviation interstate committee of the countries that are part of the CIS, as well as the state Ukrainian aviation administration for full compliance with the rules of "AP-25". In addition, the vessel has documents giving the right to operate it on American and European lines for the transportation of 86 passengers over a distance of up to 3,100 kilometers and 99 passengers over a distance of up to 2,500 kilometers. Among other things, the car is certified in the ICAO category, where it received an IIIA rating, which means that it can take off and land in difficult meteorological conditions. Here the decision altitude is 30 meters and the visibility on the runway is 200 meters.
Appearance
As mentioned above, the An-148 modification became the base for the airliner. This is also related to the external similarity of the two models. 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, 550 millimeters long, is located immediately behind the center section. As a result, the silhouette of the An-158 aircraft is more graceful. The total length of the aircraft is 34.36 meters, while the height of the vessel is 8.6 meters.
It should be noted that the basic version of the aircraft allows you to upgrade it into a variety of options, depending on the tasks that are planned to be performed due to it. In particular, it is possible to create, based on the model, military transport, cargo, cargo-passenger, sanitary and otherspecialized purpose modifications.
Chassis and fenders
The novelty did not need to strengthen the chassis. This is due to the fact that the largest takeoff weight of the airliner has not changed compared to the previous version. 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 due to the lengthening of the hull led to a decrease in the practical flight range by about 400 kilometers.
The An-158 aircraft received a significantly upgraded wing. Thanks to the installation of end aerodynamic surfaces on it, the amount of fuel consumption by the airliner has decreased. As for the tail unit, it is distinguished by a T-shaped design. The wingspan is 28.91 meters and its area is 84.32 square meters.
Specifications
The An-158 model is powered by two D-436-148 turbojet engines built by Motor Sich and providing 6,730 kilograms of thrust. The development of these units was carried out by the Zaporozhye Design Engineering Bureau "Progress". The cruising speed of the ship is 820 km/h, while the maximum speed is 870 km/h. The car consumes an average of 1650 kilograms of fuel per hour. The flight ceiling is set at around 12,500 meters. The maximum distance this regional jet can fly is 3,100 kilometers. Maximum takeoff weight of the shipequals 43,700 kg, and the payload mass is 9800 kg.
Cockpit
The crew consists of two people. The cockpit is equipped with a complex of modern avionics, which includes five modern multifunctional displays with liquid crystal indicators. They are designed to control all onboard units and systems, and also display all the necessary flight information. All systems, maintenance, management and operation of the vessel are strongly unified under its predecessor - the An-148 model. In this regard, these passenger aircraft (the 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 pilots for the new modification, as well as ground personnel who perform routine maintenance.
Operational capability
Deserve separate words in the An-158 airliner characteristics of its operational capabilities. In particular, the machine can perform air travel both during the day and at night, even in a rather difficult meteorological situation. This includes even the conditions of natural icing, when the air temperature is at around -30 degrees Celsius. In general, the aircraft is designed for temperatures ranging from -55 to +45 degrees. For take-off and landing, airfields are suitable, which are located at altitudes from -300 to +3000 meters above sea level. Possibilityoperation of the model in such conditions was proven after a series of tests. In particular, in February 2011, the machine made 16 flights in Iran, and in November 2013, it was tested at the high- altitude airfields of Bolivia and Ecuador.
Customers
The An-158 aircraft currently occupies a worthy place in the market of regional airliners. 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 Cuban aviation company Cubana de Aviacion purchased three aircraft of this model, after which it placed an order for three more copies. In general, air carriers from Latin America, Africa, Asia, as well as Russia and Ukraine announced their intention to purchase more than a hundred An-158 vessels.
Currently, Antonov Design Bureau engineers 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 variants of an airliner capable of performing a variety of tasks of military transport or civil aviation are being considered.
