Bjorn’s Corner: East bloc aeronautical industries

By Bjorn Fehrm

By Bjorn Fehrm

September 09, 2016, ©. Leeham Co: The Western world civil aeronautical industry developed a number of new aircraft (Boeing 787, Airbus A350, Bombardier CSeries, Mitsubishi’s MRJ) or aircraft variants (A320neo, 737 MAX, A330neo, Embraer’s E-Jet E2) during the last 15 years. The last of these projects (A330neo) is entering flight tests within six months.

MC21-300 image

Figure 1. The MC-21 project is reviving the Russian aeronautical industry. Source: UAC.

Over the next 10 years there will be few new Western hemisphere aircraft projects. But there will be action in the east, in Russia and China. We therefore will cover these projects in more and more articles.

To give a background to these articles, I will spend some Corners to describe some of the differences between the Western and Eastern aeronautical industry. A lot of these differences will come from the industry’s history. We will start with Russia’s airframe industry. Read more

Russian-Chinese wide-body; The aircraft Part 3

By Bjorn Fehrm

Subscription required.

Introduction

September 08, 2016, ©. Leeham Co: Having covered the possibilities of reusing parts of the Il-96 fuselage for a new Russian-Chinese wide-body, it’s now time to look at the existing IL-96 wing and how far this is from a modern design.

Russian-Chinese widebody

Figure 1. Concept for new wide-body airliner. Source: United Aircraft.

The intent is not to propose that the existing wing is reused but rather to check the technology level against western designs and how big a leap it will be for the partners to make a modern high performance wing for the aircraft.

Summary:

  • The IL-96 wing is roughly on the technological level of the Airbus A340-300 wing with a bit lower aspect ratio.
  • The dimensions are close to what is needed for the new wide-body but sweep and aspect ratio needs to be changed for a new wing.
  • A wing for a 2025 long range wide-body also need a more modern construction technology than classical aluminum alloys.

Read more

Irkut MC-21; we look at the MC-21-300, Part 2.

By Bjorn Fehrm

Subscription required.

Introduction

August 01, 2016, ©. Leeham Co: After having found the nearest competitor to the Irkut MC-21-300 as the Boeing 737 MAX 9 in our first article, we now go deeper in the comparison of the two aircraft.

MC21-300 image

Figure 1. MC-21-300 at the roll out in June 2016. Source: Irkut

In the first article, we found that the aircraft have almost identical cabin dimensions. Now we will look at other areas like airframe dimensions, weights and data which dictate overall performance.

Summary:

  • The MC-21 has cabin dimensions which are very close to the 737 MAX 9.
  • The nominal two class seating by Irkut is lower than the MAX 9. We have assumed that this will increase during the lifetime of the MC-21.
  • We also compare other data between the MC-21-300 and the MAX 9, such as weights, wetted areas and effective wingspans to see if these are similar as well. In the end these dictate the aircraft’s efficiency together with the engines.

Read more

IRKUT MC-21; we look at the MC21-300.

By Bjorn Fehrm

Subscription required.

Introduction

July 28, 2016, ©. Leeham Co: In February we did a first analysis of the new Irkut MC-21 single aisle aircraft that Russia is developing. We found that the aircraft has its own profile; it’s not a copy of a Western design. Irkut is the company within Russia’s United Aircraft group which is developing MC-21 (or rather, its design bureau, Yakovlev, is). Irkut has also gone its own way in sizing the aircraft.

MC-21-300

Figure 1. MC-21-300 at the roll out in June 2016. Source: Irkut.

In our February analysis, we found that the first aircraft being developed, the MC-21-300, is larger than both the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 MAX 8, the present top sellers in the single aisle market. At the time, we decided to analyze the aircraft which was closest to those two in size, MC-21-200, which is the second variant in development. We will now look at the larger MC-21-300 (Figure 1), the aircraft which rolled out in June and which will fly early next year.

Summary:

  • The MC-21 has its own profile; it is not a copy of a Western aircraft. It has a wider cabin than the A320 and a higher capacity in its base variant, the MC-21-300.
  • The MC-21-300 is smaller than an A321. It most closely resembles a Boeing 737 MAX 9 in size. We will therefore conduct the analysis of the MC-21-300 by comparing it to the largest Boeing MAX variant.

Read more

Flying the Irkut MC-21 simulator

By Bjorn Fehrm

21July 2016, ©. Leeham Co:Russia’s United Aircraft Irkut division had the good taste to bring a fully functional MC-21 simulator to Farnborough Air Show. I managed to get an hour of take-offs and landings during the show’s early hours on Thursday.

The simulator consists of a fixed cockpit, Figure 1, with a panoramic screen giving a terrain view out of the cockpit windows. The terrain model was of good quality and the feeling of flying a good non-moving simulator was there.

MC-21 simulator

Figure 1. United Aircraft’s MC-21 exhibition simulator. Source: LNC

The simulator was especially conceived for exhibitions but it didn’t seem to be less functional because of that.  Flight laws should be the same as the full MC-21 simulators but the implementation team is separate from the team which is making the flight crew training simulators. I was accompanied in the Sim by Sergey, one of the software programmers of the simulator. He was interested in my impressions, as it was still relatively early days in the simulator’s design.

Read more

IRKUT MC-21 analysis, Part 4. Performance with PD-14

By Bjorn Fehrm

Subscription required.

Introduction

March. 14, 2016, ©. Leeham Co: In three articles we have been looking at the new Russian single aisle aircraft, Irkut MC-21, from United Aircraft and the new Russian engine that is being developed for the aircraft, the PD-14.

The PD-14, which is offered as an alternative to the base engine for the aircraft, the Pratt & Whtiney PW1400G, was analysed in our Part 3 article. We now mount the engine on the MC-21 and explore the difference in performance compared to the base engine.

Summary:

  • The PD-14, which is a new engine designed by the Aviadvigatel company, is a clear step forward for the Russian turbofan industry.
  • In our analysis in Part 3, we could see that it has a classical direct drive construction with a good level of technology in several parts.
  • Weight and installation dimension are similar to the competition but efficiency is a bit behind.
  • We now explore the performance of the MC-21 with the Russian engine.

Read more

IRKUT MC-21 analysis, Part 3. The Russian engine alternative

By Bjorn Fehrm

Subscription required.

Introduction

Feb. 29, 2016, ©. Leeham Co: In two articles we have been looking at the new Russian single-aisle aircraft, Irkut MC-21from United Aircraft. Now it’s time to analyze the new Russian engine, PD-14, which is offered as an alternative to the base engine for the aircraft, the Pratt & Whitney PW1400G. PD-14 engine

Summary:

  • The PD-14 is a new engine designed by the Aviadvigatel company, a merger of the Soloviev design bureau with the Perm engine company.
  • PD-14 is a modern 31klbf design aimed at several Russian aircraft, the first being the MC-21.
  • The technology and performance of the PD-14 engine are approaching its Western counterparts, Pratt & Whitney PW1400G and LEAP-1A, but not quite reaching their level. We go through where it differs. Read more

IRKUT MC-21 analysis, Part 2

By Bjorn Fehrm

Subscription required.

Introduction

Feb. 24, 2016, ©. Leeham Co: Two weeks ago we started our analysis of the new Russian single aisle aircraft, United Aircraft’s Irkut MC-21. We looked at key design features and compared these to the Airbus A320.

We also analyzed the passenger capacity where we found that the model which will start flight testing, the MC-21-300, has a capacity between the A320 and the A321. The closest aircraft in capacity and performance in the MC-21 lineup versus the competition would be the MC-21-200 and A320neo.

We have therefore decided to do our efficiency analysis between these variants.

Summary:

  • The MC-21 has a wider fuselage than the A320. This is a positive as it allows passengers to pass each other in the aisle of the cabin.
  • The drawback of the wider fuselage is a bit higher aircraft drag.
  • Coupled with a lower wing aspect ratio, the lighter MC-21 cannot open a fuel consumption advantage over the A320neo, despite being a more modern design.

Read more

Analysis: Sukhoi’s regional jet Superjet 100

By Bjorn Fehrm

Subscription required

Introduction

18 January 2016, © Leeham Co: Russian aircraft have never succeeded in penetrating the Western market. But then they never really tried, until now. They were designed for the Soviet Union captive market, including the partner states that historically participated in or were friendly to the communistic system. One comes to think of China, Egypt, Libya, Cuba and Nicaragua.Interjet SSJThe Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC) Superjet 100 (SSJ100) is the first Russian aircraft specifically designed from the outset to compete on a world market.

We analyse its basic design and performance in comparison to the market leader in 100 seat regional flying, Embraer’s E190.

Summary:

  • The SSJ100 is a half a generation younger design than the Embraer E190. It has modern aerodynamics, IMA-based modular avionics and an advanced Fly-By-Wire system.
  • The feedback-based Fly-By-Wire enables a tight aircraft design with low wetted areas.
  • The SSJ100 engines, SaM146, can best be described as a shrinked and cleaned up CFM56. They have the efficiency level of the E190’s CF34-10E.
  • The aerodynamics and engines combine to give the SSJ100 a single digit edge in fuel burn over the E190.

Read more

Bjorn’s Corner: Russian aircraft industry.

By Bjorn Fehrm

By Bjorn Fehrm

22 August 2015, ©. Leeham Co: The Russian air show MAKS is taking place in Moscow, on the airfield of Zhukovsky, Southeast of Moscow. The town of Zhukovsky is called the Aero-City of the Russian federation. It houses not only a 17,800ft runway but also the center of the Russian aeronautical research and test knowledge around the gigantic airfield.

Just a couple of miles from the airfield lies the well-known Russian Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, TsAGI. It has been involved in designing the aerodynamics of all Russian aircraft, including the latest, the Sukhoi Superjet and Irkut’s new MC-21 competitor to the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320neo.

I have always been interested in the enigma of the Soviet and later Russian aeronautical industry. It had such a different structure to its western counterparts and has therefore struggled. The MC-21 is a good example. Ilyushin says they are working on MC-21, as does Yakolev and Irkut. Irkut says it is their aircraft, yet I had not heard of Irkut as a plane OEM before MC-21.

My household names for Russian airliners were Tupolev and Ilyushin with perhaps Yakolev for the smaller types. If we included Ukraine during the Soviet period, we could add Antonov as a known airliner OEM. But not Irkut. Yet today the main players doing new civil airliners are Sukhoi and Irkut, neither known for building airliners. How does this all fit together? Here is a try to sort it out. Read more