India and Russia have suspended the implementation of a joint project to create a multi-purpose medium military transport aircraft (SVTS), which in our country is known under the designation IL-214. This was announced in early March of this year by Russian Minister of Industry and Commerce Denis Mansurov to journalists. “Not all projects end with a positive result,” the official said with regret. He also added that for several years of working together on the plane, the parties could not find a compromise solution. According to Mansurov, the refusal of further work on the IL-214 does not mean the termination of cooperation between Moscow and Delhi in the field of aircraft construction; now just more attention will be paid to other projects.
Not to say, the information about the termination of work on the creation of the MTS (multi-purpose transport aircraft) has become a bolt from the blue. Back in early 2018, representatives of the Ilyushin company reported freezing this project, saying that now the fate of the Il-214 is in the hands of the Russian Ministry of Defense. And up to this point, the project has progressed extremely slowly. In general, the epic with this aircraft lasted more than fifteen years.
Around the same time, it was reported that India had signed an agreement on the joint production of an average transport aircraft with the Ukrainian company Antonov. We are talking about the An-178, the tests of which began in 2014. Ukrainians are positioning this car as a replacement for the obsolete An-12 and An-32.
Why are the latest news about the MTS project not encouraging domestic aviation enthusiasts? For what reason did the IL-214 fail? Is it possible to reanimate it? And does the Russian air force need a new medium transport aircraft at all?
Background and history of creation
The idea of creating a new medium transport aircraft appeared in Russia at the end of the 90s of the last century. This transporter was to replace a number of cars built and built during the Soviet period: An-12 (serial production completed in 1972), An-72 (production discontinued in the early 90s) and An-26 (production completed in the 80s). India was interested in the new project, which planned to replace the outdated Soviet An-32 with a new aircraft.
You can add that the main aircraft of this class, which is now used in the vast expanses of the CIS, is the An-12. This is a good, reliable and time-tested car, but it made its first flight back in 1957.
By the way, a similar problem faces Western aircraft builders. The main medium transport aircraft in the West is the American C-130 Hercules. Of course, this is a car legend, but the problem is that in 2014 “Hercules” celebrated its sixtieth anniversary, and, despite numerous upgrades, it has long been morally obsolete.
In Russia, problems with updating the fleet of transport aviation began since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the late 80s, it was decided to abandon the An-12 aircraft modernization program, and it was planned to replace it with the new Antonov Design Bureau - An-70. The collapse of the country put an end to all these undertakings.
It should be said that the An-70 was nevertheless created by Kiev aircraft builders, but it became heavily heavier and became, rather, a heavy transport vehicle, with a payload of 47 tons. So far, this aircraft has not begun to be mass-produced, but even if this happens, its price and specifications will not be very consistent with the average transport aircraft. In addition, the current Russian-Ukrainian relations make it almost impossible to purchase the An-70 for the needs of the domestic Air Force.
India has also long declared its desire to receive a new medium transport aircraft. Moreover, the Indians did not want just to buy a new car, but to participate in its development and production. In this country, the Made in India program has been operating for many years, according to which preference is given to those suppliers who “share” the latest technologies and open production in this country.
In 2001, a protocol was signed between the Ilyushin Corporation, Irkut Research and Production Corporation and the Indian company Hindustan Aeronautics to start the joint development of the MTS transport aircraft.
In 2006, a promising IL-214 aircraft was included in the Russian state rearmament program. The cost of one car was supposed to be about 35-40 million dollars, and it was planned to be accepted for service in 2018. When the IL-214 project was just launched, the Russian side declared its readiness to purchase about 100 new aircraft.
It took another six years to build up officials and only in 2007 between Russia and India an intergovernmental agreement on this project was signed. This document dealt with the fact that the first flight of a new transport worker was to take place already in 2008. Each side received a 50% stake in the new company.
One of the main problems of the new project was to provide a guaranteed starting order. Indians initially talked about 40-50 aircraft that they are ready to buy for their own needs. The Russian Ministry of Defense, as it could, was delaying the tender for the SVTS, having no funds for a new military transport aircraft. It took place only in 2005, the Tu-330 was a rival to the Ilyushin machine. In the end, the winner was recognized IL-214. Initially, the Russian military talked about the need to purchase 60 aircraft, but then nevertheless agreed to acquire 100 new transport workers.
In 2009, experts OKB them. Ilyushin prepared the preliminary design of the aircraft and successfully defended it. Already at that time, it became clear that the initially announced deadlines would not be sustained, and the first flight of the car was postponed.
A year later, a basic agreement was signed between the Russian and Indian aircraft manufacturers, according to which both parties pledged to invest $ 600 million in the project and carry out mass production at aircraft factories in both countries. The first flight of the new machine was postponed for 2018, and high-volume production for 2019. It was planned that in Russia the release of IL-214 will be carried out at the facilities of Irkut NPK.
In 2012, a contract was signed between UAC and HAL, which prescribed, where and in what quantity new aircraft will be produced. According to this document, Russia assumed obligations to purchase 100 vehicles for the needs of the air force, India promised to acquire 45 airplanes, and another 60 Il-214s were planned to be produced for sale to third countries. The contract stated that the production of MTS will be handled by Multirole Transport Aircraft Limited, jointly established by both parties.
However, the aircraft builders did not plan to limit themselves only to the needs of the military departments of the two countries. According to estimates by domestic experts, in the next twenty years, countries that have traditionally bought Soviet transport aircraft will need about 300 new cars. The developers of IL-214 could claim at least 60% of this market. And given the quite affordable price of the new aircraft, it was possible to try and compete for consumers who traditionally bought American C-130. So, the financial prospects of the new project looked quite attractive.
It was announced that representatives of the defense ministries of both countries would monitor the implementation of the project.
However, in 2018, the Indian side announced its withdrawal from the MTS project. In January 2018, the Ilyushin company reported freezing work on the Il-214, and at the beginning of this year, the Russian Minister of Industry and Trade put the final point on the issue of creating the Il-214.
A little about the characteristics and competitors of the IL-214
The IL-214 is a twin-engine high-wing aircraft with a T-shaped tail unit. According to the project, its maximum take-off weight is 68 tons (from other sources is 72 tons), and the maximum carrying capacity is 20 tons, which it can deliver to a distance of 2 thousand km. The wing of the aircraft is characterized by powerful mechanization, consisting of slats, ailerons, multislot flaps and spoilers. The crew consists of three people, the cockpit is comfortable and equipped with the latest technology.
It was planned that the car will be largely unified with the IL-76MD, especially with regard to the cargo compartment and the cockpit. This fact was considered one of the main advantages of the new machine, greatly simplifying its production and reducing the cost of the aircraft. The cargo compartment was equipped with a wide ramp and two hoists, which was supposed to allow loading and unloading work on unequipped airfields.
It was assumed that the power plant of the aircraft will consist of two PS-90A turbofan engines, and in the future - of the promising PD-18R.
The dimensions of the cargo compartment of the aircraft were supposed to allow loading of four universal aviation containers UAK-5, the same number could take on board and An-12. In addition, it was assumed that the IL-214 will be able to transport 140 troops or 90 paratroopers with parachute equipment.
For the aircraft provided the possibility of refueling in the air. The fuel receiver bar was located above the left side of the cockpit.
Who can be considered the main competitor of the Russian IL-214?
Earlier this year, it was officially announced the conclusion of a contract between the Ukrainian state enterprise "Antonov" and the Indian company Reliance Defense Ltd. It dealt with the joint development of a medium transport aircraft based on the Ukrainian An-178 machine. A long-term project for a period of fifteen years is assumed. It is planned that during this period 500 aircraft will be built for a total amount of 5.3 billion dollars. Two hundred cars will go to the needs of the Indian army, another three hundred aircraft will be manufactured for the civil air fleet of this country.
The An-178 is a further continuation of the line of Antonov An-148 and An-158 vehicles. It was developed by Ukrainian designers as soon as possible (about four years). In 2018, the presentation of this machine. Currently, the aircraft is being tested.
According to its characteristics, the An-178 is in many ways similar to the IL-214, it can transport cargo weighing about 20 tons at a distance of 1 thousand km. At the same time, the design of the cargo cabin allows the An-178 to take on board even large-size 1C sea containers. The Ilyushin machine has a slightly longer fermentation range and the engines have a lot of thrust. The cost of the An-178 is 40 million dollars. In 2018, the first launch of the new D-436-148FM engine, which was developed specifically for this aircraft, was carried out in Zaporozhye.
For the Indians, an additional advantage of the An-178 was a good knowledge of Antonov technology. Currently in India are operating hundreds of different types of transport aircraft, designed by the Design Bureau. Antonov.
Another possible competitor for the IL-214 in the Indian market (if, of course, this project is revived) may be the Brazilian MTC KS-390. About the beginning of the development of this aircraft, Embraer said back in 2007, after carefully studying this market segment. Within a few years, military departments of several countries expressed interest in a promising aircraft, and in 2012 the American Boeing joined the project, promising to share technologies with the Brazilians, as well as help with the implementation of the new car.
Brazilians have already announced that the carrying capacity of the new aircraft will be more than 24 tons (with a flight range of more than 2.5 thousand km). The first flight of the KS-390 took place in February 2018, in 2018 the operation of this machine is to begin. True, the cost of one aircraft KS-390 more than doubles the price of IL-214 and An-178 - it is 85 million dollars.
Why did not work?
Why the development of this machine lasted so long and ended in failure? Technically, the creation of such an aircraft for specialists OKB im. Ilyushin is not too difficult.
The slow progress of the work can be explained by two reasons. The first of these is the traditional lack of funds for the Russian aviation industry. In this matter, great hopes were pinned on the military department, but it was rather cool about the project.
Another problem is the difficult relationship with Uzbekistan, in which the Tashkent aircraft factory named after Chkalov is located. It was on it that they planned to begin production of the newest IL-76MD-90A transport aircraft. After the refusal of the Uzbeks to continue the cooperation, the production of this machine had to be moved to Ulyanovsk.
The subjective factor is also to blame for the failure of the contract with the Indians. The attitude to the customer from the Russian side was condescendingly complacent. Like, they are not going anywhere, they will wait as long as necessary. Alas, in the modern world nobody waits for anyone.
It is doubly offensive to the fiasco with the MTS the fact that such a plane is desperately needed by Russia itself. And the air force and civilian fleet. Ilyushinsky developed a beautiful heavy transport IL-76MD-90A, which can easily replace the An-124 Ruslan, but also need an average transport aircraft. After all, heavy trucks are not able to solve the whole range of tasks assigned to transport aircraft.
