At TsAGI, the design of a new heavy transport “Elephant” aircraft is in full swing. The aerodynamic model of the future product is almost ready.
The model includes the fuselage, planes, nacelles, tail, and fairings for the chassis. A distinctive feature of this aircraft is that the central section of the fuselage plays the role of a power core. The rest of the structure components will be attached to it. This engineering solution allows you to reduce the amount of parts required and simplify the assembly process.
The resulting model will be tested in wind tunnels installed in TsAGI. The model is designed in such a way that it can be upgraded. That is, testers have the ability to change the geometric parameters of the model - for example, the shape of the planes or the size of the tail. It is assumed that the first tests will be performed in August-September of this year.
Somewhat earlier, the concept of this aircraft was developed and a list of its key parameters was compiled.
Indicative characteristics
This car should make a worthy competition to aircraft such as A4124, Boeing 747 and others. It is assumed that she will be able to take about 150 tons of cargo on board and deliver it at a distance of 4900 km at a cruising speed of 850 ka per hour. The maximum load (commercial) can reach 180 tons.
