d_taddei2 Wed Sep 12, 2018 5:00 pm
Without repeating the specifications of the
TVS 2DTS but rather cover key points including some criticisms. Copy and pasted from various article's some already been mentioned.
It will be able to land on short unprepared runways, water and snow.
Polar Airlines and Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (UUAP, part of Russian Helicopters holding) have signed a contract for delivery of TVS-2DTS, the light composite single-engine turboprop airplane, based on Antonov An-2 design. The deal, which is part of a large-scale project to develop local air connections in Buryatiya and Yakutia regions, was announced by Russian Helicopters holding company.
The first deliveries are scheduled for 2021. Within the timeframe between 2021 and 2025 UUAP plans to deliver NO LESS than 200 aircraft for the needs of regional aviation,” the official announcement reads.
The production of the aircraft is expected to be launched by 2019. It is also not excluded that Russia’s State Transport Leasing Corporation (GTLK) may join in the contract
The Rostec Corporation of Russia has launched manufacturing activity of TVS-2DTS light aircraft at the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (U-UAZ), a member of the Russian Helicopters holding company.
It will be used for passengers, medivac, fire-fighting missions and for agricultural purposes.
Future applications planned for the aircraft include light reconnaissance and light attack.
According to Seryoznov, new aircraft from the first series will cost about $ 1.5 million, but the price is expected to fall to $1.2 million
He said that the state demand for such an aircraft will stand at about 350 aircraft, due to be supplied to the Russian Armed Forces as well as state bodies dealing with air medical services and forest protection.
In addition to the domestic market, the new aircraft will be supplied abroad, particularly to Mongolia, Indonesia and Malaysia and some other countries, which, to date, have already expressed an interest in the purchases of the new aircraft. According to his calculations, 700 An-2 biplanes are still used in Russia while, globally, this market figure is estimated at 4,500 units.
Denis Manturov, minister of industry and trade, states that a budget of Rb220 million ($3.9 million) has been allocated for the project in 2018, to be followed by Rb230 million over the next two years.
Production is scheduled to start at the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant, which is more used to building Mil Mi-8 helicopters, by 2019, with an obligation to deliver "at least" 200 aircraft between 2021 and 2025, Russian Helicopters says.
The government is willing to partially subsidise certification expenses to manufacturers of aircraft for local transportation, as well as expenses on implementation of projects for manufacturing preparation and certification," Manturov says.
The prototype TVS-2DTS was presented at the MAKS-2017 airshow, where he was nicknamed the maize of the 21st century. For the first time this aircraft was raised in the air on July 10 this year. It is known that during this time the pilots flew more than 15 hours on it, including an 11-hour flight from Novosibirsk to the Ramenskoye airfield.
Honeywell engine is on consumption 15-20% lower than any domestic engines of this class. Although they are considering full domestic produced engine
There was concerns of the composite material not being strong enough but some people - although I don't think that this is out with Russian capabilities to make it strong enough.
Sanctions wars between Russia and the US, hoping they will not affect its segment of aircraft-building. Moreover, SibNIA has an agreement with Honeywell on the localisation of the engine assembly in Russia in due course. At the moment, 30 engines have already been supplied by Honeywell to the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant for use in the TVS-2DTS. Under the terms of the agreement, local production will begin after the completion of deliveries of a certain number of engines.
Russia by Western countries, SibNIA says it will consider beginning assembling a biplane entirely from local parts and components. However, that will result in increased fuel consumption as well as other problems during its use - yet again I don't think producing a domestic engine of this time to be out with Russian capabilities it's not exactly the most sophisticated type of engine if you take into account what Russia already produces.
Although eehnie stated that
" the strong competence of the helicopters is only increasing"
You only have to look at the fact that Russian Helicopters holding company are the ones producing it which tells you that even they seen the potential in this category. As GarryB and others stated the price point is much cheaper than a helicopter of the similar specs as well distance and speed offered.
I would also point out that a paying passenger on a local flight that flying in a fixed wing aircraft is much more comfortable than a noisy helicopter. I've flown in fairly small aircraft as well as helicopters and I would definitely say a fixed wing is less noisy. Also if there ever was a problem with the engine a pilot has a better chance of landing a fixed wing aircraft full of passengers than a helicopter full of passengers loooooool.
On the point of UAV in Ukraine a UAV and the TVS 2DTS or An-2 serve two completely different roles and nobody in there right mind would flying such an aircraft in a known threat of any air defence. One of the key benefits of a UAV is the fact it's unmanned so therefore they can take more risks flying them near enemy airspace without the risk of loss of life.
As GarryB stated back on another thread on the forum on 5th April 2018
" the US feared the An-2 in North Korean hands as the first stealth aircraft... on a normal look down radar to avoid the massive reflection of the ground and things on the ground most pulse dopplar radars remove slow moving things from the display... if it displayed things moving at 10km/h you would have branches on trees and grass and people jogging... if they displayed things moving 100km/h you would have cars on motorways appearing, so look down radar used to have a speed limit where anything going slower would not be displayed... to be clear the slower targets would be detected, but they would not appear on the display... they would pretty much be removed because they were considered noise.
The An-2 can be flown safely down to about 60km/h... so in a 50km/h head wind it will have a ground speed of 10km/h.
This newer aircraft can probably do even better... there is no wire or strut supports that cause a lot of drag on biplanes"
As I stated previously the north Koreans tested with radar
An- 2 that they had replaced certain parts with wood to reduce signature and although it's a crude method it actually worked. There plans were to use them to paradrop special forces into south korea. Also I remember reading that the soviet army used An-2 to drop special forces onto big snow drifts the An-2 would fly very low and very slow and the troops would jump out without parachutes. Although I would imagine this still to be quite a daunting jump.