Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said that until 2027, domestic aircraft manufacturers will begin production of a new super-heavy transport aircraft, which will replace the An-124. The existing Ruslans will be modernized and will remain in service until 2050. At the same time, the Russian military department continues to study the possibility of resuming the serial production of the An-124.
Russia is going to produce Ruslana alone
The An-124 transport aircraft has long been a stumbling block in the rather uneasy relationship between Ukraine and Russia. This heavy transport worker, developed at the end of the 80s, is rightfully considered to be the pride of the Soviet aircraft industry, but after the collapse of the USSR its production was stopped. At present, the An-124 is the world's most heavy-lifting production aircraft.
Over the past twenty years there have been several attempts to resume the production of a unique giant. Back in 2009, Medvedev instructed the government to study this issue, and soon the KLA, the ASTC to them. Antonov and Volga-Dnepr Airlines signed an agreement on the development of the modernized An-124-100 transport. It was planned that the first two aircraft will rise into the sky in 2013. However, soon the Russian military recognized the inexpediency of this project, having decided to buy IL-476.
Not so long ago, in the domestic media, information appeared about Russia's desire to resume production of Ruslan unilaterally, without the participation of Antonov. About this, in particular, said Yuri Sytnik - a member of the Commission for the Development of Aviation under President Putin. Is it possible? Will the domestic aviation industry be able to "pull" such an ambitious project alone?
Can Russian aircraft manufacturers be able to repeat the pride of the Soviet aircraft industry?
Of course, to deploy mass production of the most lifting aircraft in the world is very honorable for any state. But a number of Russian experts doubt the reality of such a project, as well as its feasibility. For example, the editor of the portal Avia.ru, Roman Gusarov, believes that in this case it will not be about the resumption of production of the Soviet aircraft, but about the actual creation of a new car, which in its appearance and characteristics, of course, will resemble the An-124.
The existing drawings will have to be digitized, which will lead to a change in the set of parts and assemblies that were created at one time with the help of a slide rule. Designers have already had to do a similar job for the IL-76, the digitization of which led to a complete rework of the aircraft wing. And there will be a lot to change in the car: from avionics to loading winches.
Shared this point of view and independent aviation expert Vadim Lukashevich. He believes that in this case we can talk only about the new aircraft based on the "Ruslan". In its design will be used other materials, components and assemblies. In his opinion, the creation of such a machine will require 8-10 years, and it will cost about half a trillion rubles. Lukashevich believes that it is more expedient to develop a heavy transport plane from scratch, rather than trying to copy an old Soviet product.
You can also add that Russia does not have a motor with characteristics comparable to the Ukrainian D-18. And only this fact alone can put an end to all undertakings. By 2020, the United Motion Corporation promises to create a D-35, but how realistic these deadlines are is a very big question.
Well, in the end. An-124 was a grand project, which was attended by hundreds of enterprises throughout the USSR. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Ruslan was built by the whole country. Today, the implementation of a project of this scale will certainly rest on a significant drop in the technological level and lack of personnel, not only in production, but also in the sectoral science. But the main thing is probably not that. The post-Soviet elite, both Russian and Ukrainian, are simply not capable of such feats. For, as the Mexican proverb says, is not according to Juan a sombrero. And the recent campaign in the Russian media about the launch of the An-124 serial production is no more than another attempt to "troll" the Ukrainian "partners."
