Il-112 aircraft: characteristics and production

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The fleet of transport aircraft of the Russian Air Force is rapidly aging. This fact cannot leave indifferent the leaders of the defense department, who are interested in the maximum mobility of the armed forces. Aircraft, which have served as army "workhorses" for decades, are gradually wearing out, spare parts for them are becoming less accessible, and the motor resource, with all the reliability of Anov, is far from endless. Advances in technology are also fueling the growing needs of both civilian carriers and their military counterparts. Everyone is waiting for a new aircraft, and there is some reason to believe that the IL-112 will become the new "draft force". It is not yet “in metal”, it exists only on paper, but in our technological time everything happens very quickly.

From Antonov to Ilyushin

In the USSR, the design bureau of O. K. Antonov, located in the capital of the Ukrainian SSR Kyiv. Oleg Konstantinovich was transferred to the capital of Soviet Ukraine in 1946 from Novosibirsk, where he headed a branch of the Yakovlev Design Bureau. Here Antonov created many wonderful aircraft, most of which today plow the skies over the CIS countries and far beyond their borders. These machines are reliable, beautiful and "friendly" to the pilots, they "forgive"some management errors.

After the collapse of the USSR, Design Bureau im. OK. Antonov became Ukrainian, and it became more and more difficult to solve the problems of the Russian armed forces in the field of transport aviation from year to year. In addition to political contradictions, many technical shortcomings also interfere with the cause. Be that as it may, the leadership of the Russian Federation set the task: to build aircraft on their own, without relying on foreign suppliers and developers. Part of this strategy should be the Il-112, whose characteristics (in particular, a carrying capacity of six tons) will successfully replace the vast fleet of An-26, An-24T, An-32 and other vehicles that have been serving in our army for several decades.

Army criteria

In the mid-nineties, the issue of re-equipping transport aviation was already quite acute. There were two main contenders for the supply of a new basic model of light-duty aircraft (5-6 tons). The Ukrainian An-140, in general, was suitable for Russian customers, but for a number of indicators it did not quite satisfy them. In particular, the army leadership insisted on the need for a ramp, which was very successful on the An-26, and was both a ramp and a lifting mechanism.

One of the main requirements was the ability to operate on unpaved runways. To the greatest extent, the Il-112 aircraft corresponded to these declared parameters, with only one caveat. The Ukrainian An-140 has already been assembled, you could touch it, but the Russian aircraft existed only on paper and models.

General schematics

The constructive-schematic approach shown by the designers of the Ilyushin company is interesting. Everything that was good (and there were many) from the Antonovs, they adopted. In order to be convinced of this, it is enough to compare the formulas of the last two aircraft of the Design Bureau - Il-114 and Il-112. The first one (by the way, it turned out to be not very successful) has a classic "Ilyushin" scheme, which is characterized by a low-lying wing with two engine nacelles, tested on the Il-12, and a fuselage (monocoque) round in section. This scheme, which, in turn, is associated with the Douglas DC-3, was used in the design of the Il-18 and Il-38.

Antonov Design Bureau aircraft have other features: the wing has an upper position, motors are suspended under it, the fuselage section from above includes a surface close to a half-cylinder, and from below it is almost flat (semi-monocoque). This is what the IL-112 looks like. Photos and dimensions suggest that the ideologies of this aircraft are similar to the An-24 and its subsequent modifications (An-26, An-30 and An-32).

Of course, this is not about plagiarism. Each aircraft design is developed on the basis of a technical specification, and common ideas will lead to the appearance of externally similar aircraft, even if their appearance is kept in strict secrecy. It is impossible to say that the "Ilyushins" copied something from the "Antonovites". Moreover, so far they have not received any preferences.

Note that the problems haunted the IL-112 from the very beginning of the project.

Problems launching into production

More than two decades ago, in 1993, a sketch model of the aircraft was submitted for discussion by the state commission. A year later, after the release of the government decree, the design of its two versions began - military transport and passenger.

The initial idea was to unite the efforts of the Bashkir oilmen and aircraft manufacturers. At the plant in Kumertau (where Ka helicopters are being built), it was planned to launch another, “aircraft” line, financing the project through the sale of hydrocarbons. In the atmosphere of the "dashing nineties" from this venture, which at first promised success, unfortunately, nothing came of it.

Specialists of the Design Bureau decided to launch the production of IL-112 in Voronezh, at the VASO aircraft plant. The enthusiasm of the team was facilitated by the victory in the Air Force competition, in which the new car had to withstand serious competition with transport workers developed by true masters of their craft - the Sukhoi Design Bureau, RSK MiG, Tupolev ASTC and the Experimental Machine-Building Plant. V. M. Myasishchev. It seemed that success was close.

Unexpected obstacles

The fate of the Il-112, however, was difficult. On the one hand, the successful launch of the series was hampered by political and departmental reasons. The project for the deep modernization of the Il-76MD-90A heavy transport aircraft absorbed too much budgetary funds, and therefore the then Minister of Defense Serdyukov suggested that the developers look for their own sources of funding. This task was obviously difficult, if it had a solution at all, since foreign competitors entered the civil aviation market, otherwise, for the sake ofwhich, in fact, the aircraft was being developed (that is, a military order) did not bring money. On the other hand, another round of political bargaining with Ukraine has begun over the same An-140.

Technical issues

Although the task of raising funds in the absence of state funding was difficult, the Ilyushin firm solved it. The project was included in the state defense order, taking into account the duration of the first flight. He was appointed to 2008, and then moved to 2010. The annual requirement was estimated at 18 units.

But even by this date, the developers failed to give the result. There were several reasons, and they were purely technical in nature. The main one was that the partners (the plant named after V. Ya. Klimov) could not provide suitable Il-112 engines.

The characteristics of the aircraft depend on its power plant. The power required for this aircraft is 3.5 thousand hp. (2 x 1, 75 thousand), and the "Klimovsky" motor TV7-117ST developed only 1, 4 thousand. In order to show the required result, the new Il lacked 700 "horses".

General information about the aircraft

So, now about the main thing, that is, what is the IL-112 aircraft. This is an all-metal monoplane with riveted joints of the main components made of titanium and precision duralumin, with some elements made of composite materials. The wing is located high, with two engine nacelles, its degree of mechanization is high, there is abrake pads. The fuselage is divided into three compartments. The cargo section (like all the others) is sealed. The tail unit is T-shaped. The door is combined with the gangway, the ramp and the ramp are located in the tail section. The chassis has five supports, the main racks are retracted into the side influxes along the sides.

Performance

The speed of the new aircraft will be approximately the same as that of An-24 or An-26 - from 480 (cruising) to 550 km/h. Ceiling - 7600 m, range - up to 1000 km, but takeoff and landing characteristics will be significantly improved. To take off, Ilu will need a VPD 870 m long, and to land - 600 m. Avionics has undergone major changes. It is assumed that the devices will be the most modern. The cargo compartment is spacious, its capacity exceeds the dimensions of the cargo that the An-140 can carry.

How good is he?

IL-112 - the plane is not perfect, but we can confidently say that it is quite good. Subject to the replacement of engines with domestic VK-3500, in some design modifications, it may well perform the tasks of transport aviation, and even has a certain export potential. A few years ago, representatives of the Indian armed forces became interested in a new type of machine, and a good reputation will encourage other promising customers to take a closer look at it. In addition, it is also important that today our Ministry of Defense no longer consoles itself with hopes for fruitful cooperation with Western partners, focusing on domestic technology. We have nothing more modern today,and time is running out.

Good news

The project celebrated its twentieth anniversary, it can be called long-term construction. It is possible that in a different political situation, this project would have added to the list of unrealized ideas, but encouraging news has recently been heard. IL-112 will still be brought to mind, and on the direct orders of the President of the Russian Federation. It is one of the best in its class, and its production will be an excellent way to boost the domestic aircraft industry. This will require money, and it will be allocated.

Samara "Aviacor" will become the main base on which the Il-112 will be assembled. 2014, thus, became decisive in the fate of the aircraft. It is hoped that its first flight will take place in a maximum of three years.

This decision became possible after changing the concept of transport aircraft construction, namely, the gathering of all production and design forces into a single structure. However, experts believe that veteran aircraft should not be written off ahead of time. Modernization of proven and reliable Soviet-style aircraft will give time to develop and bring to the required level the latest aircraft that will replace them.